Why Jérémy Jacquet chose his new Liverpool shirt number

With Víctor Muñoz still out in North America at the World Cup preparing for the final with Spain, there is only one new signing, so far, for Liverpool fans to get excited about ahead of the start of 2026/27 pre-season next weekend.

That is Jéremy Jacquet, who put pen to paper in January, the Reds paying £55 million, plus £5 million in add ons. He subsequently spent the remainder of the campaign on loan still with Stade Rennais, helping les Rouge et Noirs qualify for the Europa League.

Now on Merseyside, the 21 year old will get the opportunity to impress now head coach Andoni Iraola. One of his first duties at AXA Training Centre was to chose a new squad number. This was announced on Thursday morning, and it could tell us a lot about Iraola's plans for Jacquet.

Jérémy Jacquet new squad number confirmed

As announced by the club, Jacquet will be wearing the number 5 shirt.

Coming through the ranks at Rennes, he has donned a wide-variety of squad numbers, starting with 97, before earning 6 and then 5, making it little surprise he has chosen to stick with that Liverpool, especially considering it was available. So, which players from the past is Jacquet following in the footsteps of?

Previous Liverpool number 5s (squad number era)

• 1993-98: Mark Wright - Liverpool appearances: 210.

• 1998-2001: Steve Staunton- Liverpool appearances: 147.

• 2001-2006: Milan Baroš - Liverpool appearances: 108.

• 2006-2014: Daniel Agger- Liverpool appearances: 232.

• 2016-2021: Georginio Wijnaldum- Liverpool appearances: 237.

• 2021-2026: Ibrahima Konaté - Liverpool appearances: 183.

The 21-year-old has essentially been signed to replace Ibrahima Konaté, doing so both positionally but in squad number terms too. The new French centre-back will be hoping to enjoy the longevity and success of his predecessor, as well as that of fellow central defender Daniel Agger and midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, both of whom accumulated over 230 appearances for the club in a number 5 shirt.

It may seem inconsequential, in the grand scheme of things, but could the announcement of Jacquet's squad number tell us something deeper about how he is viewed?

What Jérémy Jacquet squad number tells us about his role at Liverpool

Liverpool supporters took to social media and certainly seem to think this news confirms to us that Jacquet is viewed as first-choice, poised to be Virgil van Dijk's partner.

• Back Of The Kop: "Will this make him first choice?"

• @sbzcomps: "Basically confirmation he’ll be our starting RCB next season".

• @SeanDOlfc: "He’ll have Konaté out of the French squad within 12 months".

• @ZaanTalksFooty: "Jacquet taking the No.5 shirt feels like a big sign that he’ll be Van Dijk’s main centre-back partner. It’s a huge show of faith in a young but seriously talented defender. He has the size, pace to recover, the aggression to defend on the front foot and he’s comfortable playing out from the back too".

It is difficult to disagree with the sentiment that Jacquet will be Iraola's first-choice centre-back, alongside captain van Dijk, come the start of the season. At 21 years old, he is very inexperienced, having made just 31 Ligue 1 appearances for Stade Rennais, as well as 24 on loan at Clermont Foot, the majority of which came in Ligue 2.

Nevertheless, his huge transfer fee, the eighth-largest in Liverpool history, does not suggest he has been recruited to be a bench player. What the club chose to do in his position though remains interesting.

Even before Konaté departed, they were light on centre-back options. Giovanni Leoni should be back soon, after rupturing his ACL on debut last September, but the omniscient Joe Gomez is the only other option for now. Thus, at least one more central defender is likely to be signed, but will they be recruited to usurp Jacquet in the pecking order, or be a depth option? Well, the 21 year old will get pre-season to prove his worth.

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