‘No justification whatsoever’ – World Cup winner calls Liverpool ‘suckers’ over transfer decision
Former France international Christophe Dugarry has branded Liverpool ‘suckers’ over the price they’ve paid to secure the signing of Jeremy Jacquet.
As per Paul Joyce of The Times, the Reds agreed a deal comprising £55m up-front plus £5m in potential add-ons to land the centre-back from Rennes, where he’ll spend the remainder of this season before linking up with Arne Slot’s squad in the summer.
It’s the second-highest fee that LFC have paid for a defender (surpassed only by £75m for Virgil van Dijk), even though the 20-year-old has made just 55 senior career appearances thus far.
Dugarry – who won the World Cup with France in 1998 – described the transfer fee for Jacquet as ‘ridiculous’ and believes that it could heap ‘a pall of pressure’ on the younger to hit the ground running at Liverpool.
Dugarry hits out over Jacquet transfer fee
Speaking on RMC Sport’s Rothen s’enflamme programme, the 53-year-old rages: “This isn’t meant to offend the player – honestly, he’s not to blame at all – and we wish him all the best because he’s a good player. When you have suckers like that… Well done to Rennes.
“This isn’t just a two-tiered football situation anymore. It’s a football that’s lost its mind. Let’s stop trying to pretend there’s a justification for it. There’s no justification whatsoever.
“Even for poor little Jacquet, this transfer is going to put a lot of pressure on him. Even him, the poor kid, who is certainly a very good player, is going to arrive with a pall of pressure.
“Let’s not try to justify this amount by saying it’s because Liverpool have money or whatever. It’s meaningless! I don’t know what’s going on. No, it’s not supply and demand. It’s ridiculous!”
Liverpool don’t do frivolity in the transfer market
Liverpool are putting a huge show of faith in Jacquet by paying up to £60m for him, but it’s been clear from the way that FSG operate that they wouldn’t have put that much money on the table unless they were fully convinced that the player is worth it.
This is the same ownership who opted against a January move for a Premier League-proven defender in Marc Guehi as they didn’t feel that the 25-year-old, who instead joined Manchester City for £20m, represented a market opportunity after he’d entered the final six month of his deal at Crystal Palace.
While Dugarry has praised Jacquet as a player and makes some valid observations about the modern-day transfer market, the reality is that the Reds are buying the youngster to transform their defence over a number of seasons, not to become prime Franz Beckenbauer overnight.
If Liverpool hadn’t offered £60m to Rennes for a defender they evidently wanted, that could’ve left the door open for domestic rivals and fellow suitors Chelsea to pounce instead, which would’ve enraged Kopites who’d already been screaming out for defensive reinforcements.
Having watched the 20-year-old play on multiple occasions, France-based commentator Matt Spiro seems convinced that the ‘man mountain’ centre-back has the requisite qualities to thrive in the Premier League.
Just as Van Dijk has done since 2018, Jacquet could well go on to reach a level whereby his transfer fee to come to Anfield is retrospectively viewed as a bargain.
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