Former Arsenal, Aston Villa, and England midfielder Paul Merson has revealed his astonishment at Chelsea's failure to secure the signature of Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet during the January transfer window, with Liverpool swooping in to complete a stunning £55 million deal.
Liverpool's Late Window Coup Stuns Rivals
In a dramatic twist in the final days of the transfer period, Liverpool agreed a package worth approximately £55 million plus £5 million in potential add-ons for the highly-rated 20-year-old French defender. This move effectively blew Chelsea out of the water, despite the Blues having appeared to make significant progress in their pursuit.
Chelsea had been actively exploring a bid for Jacquet and had successfully wrapped up an agreement on personal terms with the youngster last month, leading many – including Merson – to assume the Stamford Bridge club had won the race for his signature.
Merson's Bafflement at Summer Arrival
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Merson expressed particular surprise that Liverpool are content to wait until the summer for Jacquet to join, given manager Arne Slot's current defensive injury crisis. Key players Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley, and Jeremie Frimpong are all currently sidelined, intensifying the need for immediate reinforcements.
'Yeah, I found that extraordinary that he's coming in the summer,' Merson stated. 'They need a centre-half in now to fight for the top four or top five. So yeah, it surprises me. I'm majorly shocked. I don't know why this kid is staying in France until the start of next season.'
The pundit and lifelong Chelsea fan questioned the logic behind such a substantial investment without securing immediate availability, suggesting, 'If you're paying that amount of money then you're going, "We want him now, we want him today!", and that's the problem.' He speculated that Financial Fair Play regulations might have influenced the structuring of the deal.
Chelsea's Defensive Targets and Rosenior's Role
Jacquet, who is enjoying only his second full professional season, had also been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal last summer before emerging as a prime target for Chelsea this winter. His rapid rise has established him as one of the most promising young defenders in French football.
Despite the setback, Merson expressed relief that Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong remained at the club amid January loan rumours, praising the 19-year-old as a future 'proper, proper player.'
Chelsea's search for defensive reinforcements appears to have extended beyond Jacquet, with reports indicating Nantes' 18-year-old defender Tylel Tati was high on their wishlist. However, an initial offer of £26 million was reportedly rejected, and a move seems unlikely before the deadline.
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior recently clarified his limited involvement in transfer matters, telling reporters, 'That's the beauty of being a head coach within a structure. I'm not an old-school manager that's got out the phone and is making calls. I've got the best people, I think, in world football working on those things.'
He explained that he typically only sees the 'last two per cent' of the work done by the club's recruitment team, allowing him to focus solely on team performance and preparation.
Jacquet will now see out the remainder of the campaign with Rennes before linking up with the reigning Premier League champions in the summer, leaving Chelsea to reflect on a significant transfer market disappointment that has clearly stunned one of their most famous supporters.
