The sight of Jeremie Frimpong clutching his hamstring, forced off after just four minutes against Qarabag in the Champions League, summed up Liverpool’s nightmare run. Anfield held its breath, another blow in a season where the backline has crumbled.
Defensive stocks are alarmingly thin. Conor Bradley’s season was cut short by knee ligament damage in that January 8 clash with Arsenal, ruling him out until 2026-27. New signing Giovanni Leoni, brought in to shore things up, suffered an ACL tear on debut back in September and won’t return this campaign. Joe Gomez is nursing a hip injury from a nasty collision with Alisson in the 3-2 loss at Bournemouth, while Ibrahima Konaté remains absent on compassionate leave following his father’s passing.
That’s five key options down, leaving Arne Slot patching together solutions with academy lads and makeshift pairings.
No quick fixes in this window, though. Widespread reports from BBC Sport and Sky Sports confirm the Reds won’t dip into the market before Monday’s deadline. The focus is on recovery and resilience, grinding through with what they’ve got. But hope flickers on the horizon for summer reinforcements.
Jeremy Jacquet, the 20-year-old Rennes defender catching eyes across Europe. Fabrizio Romano, the transfer oracle, dropped the update on his YouTube channel:
“Liverpool are in contact with the agents of the player, respecting the fact that Rennes want to sell the player in the summer and not in the January window.”
He added, “Liverpool are in conversations and Liverpool want to try and it is an interesting case to follow.”
Romano highlighted the competition: “Bayern have called and met with the agents in recent weeks but only for the summer. The feeling, the tendency of this deal is the Premier League, with Chelsea and Liverpool both interested. Chelsea are prepared to go all in, Liverpool are going with a different strategy – more for the summer.”
The Telegraph echoed this, noting Chelsea’s weekend push to tempt Rennes into a winter sale. But the Ligue 1 side, sixth in the standings and chasing European spots, aren’t budging. Jacquet’s contract runs to 2029, giving them leverage. He’s impressed with 18 appearances this season, boasting a 92% pass accuracy and 1.8 tackles per game—stats that scream potential for Slot’s high-line system.
It’s a patient play from Liverpool, eyeing a rebuild without panic buys. Jacquet’s versatility across centre-back and right-back could plug gaps long-term.