Liverpool Signing Dealt Huge Injury Setback, Recovery Timeline Uncertain

It isn’t the news that Arne Slot wanted to be hear ahead of next season.

Liverpool’s chance of a smooth preseason has been rocked. | Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Jérémy Jacquet, Liverpool’s latest signing following the agreement of a winter transfer window deal with Rennes, has been ruled out for the rest of the season as the defender prepares for shoulder surgery.

Rather than immediately link up with Liverpool once the transfer was completed on Feb. 2—which might have been pertinent given a lack of center-back depth at Anfield—it was decided Jacquet should remain with former club Rennes on loan until a planned move to England in July.

However, just five days later, a shoulder injury suffered during a Ligue 1 match against Lens left him sidelined. Now, Rennes have confirmed the intention for Jacquet to be operated on.

A statement from the Ligue 1 club on Tuesday clarified: “On the pitch against Lens on February 7th, Jérémy Jacquet was forced to leave the game early due to a left shoulder injury.

“Following medical examinations, surgery has been scheduled in the coming days. Stade Rennais F.C. wishes him a speedy recovery.”

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When Will Jérémy Jacquet Recover?

Jérémy Jacquet has already been sidelined almost a month. | Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Early estimates suggest up to 12 weeks of recovery time, which would keep Jacquet sidelined until early June, by which time the 2025–26 season would be over. Even the more generous estimate of an eight-week turnaround could mean the player being rushed back to health and may be considered too much of a risk. All in all, he may have already made his 33rd and final Rennes first-team appearance.

From a Liverpool perspective, Jacquet reporting for duty on the first day of preseason some time in the second half of July is certainly plausible. Given that he likely won’t have played for more than five months by then, putting in the work ahead of 2026–27 is going to be crucial to how the young talent—who turns 21 on July 13—adapts to his new challenge in England.

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What Role Will Jérémy Jacquet Have at Liverpool?

Jérémy Jacquet won’t be a Liverpool player until July. | Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Although Liverpool committed to paying up to $79.7 million (£60 million) for Jacquet based on less than one year as a starter for Rennes, he is largely seen as a long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk. But the Frenchman could find himself quickly thrown in at the deep end as soon as next season. A lot depends on what happens to Ibrahima Konaté.

Konaté’s future is uncertain due to his expiring contract, with no new deal with Liverpool yet agreed and longstanding rumors linking him with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

A departure for Konaté into free agency would leave Joe Gomez, perennially struggling for fitness, Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, who will be coming back off a long-term ACL layoff, as the primary center backs behind van Dijk. Leoni, 19, is younger than Jacquet and has even less experience.

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