A surprising transfer link has emerged between Arsenal and Stade Rennais defender Jeremy Jacquet.
Fabrizio Romano reported that Arsenal have an interest in Jacquet, seeing the Frenchman as a potential replacement for Jakub Kiwior.
Should the Poland international depart the Emirates this summer, Mikel Arteta’s squad will need to be replenished with another central defender.
Jacquet is a top talent in Ligue 1, becoming one to watch in the Rennes squad, but like every player, the centre-back doesn’t come without fault.
Former coach had a problem with Jeremy Jacquet’s fitness
Arsenal fans are concerned about links to Jacquet, only because of how many defenders Arteta has signed compared to attackers.
The ratio between attacking and defensive signings isn’t the only reservation that the Gunners might have, as one of the 20-year-old’s former coaches explained.
Former Rennes reserve coach Pierre-Emmanuel Bourdeau once classed Jacquet’s injury woes as an ‘obstacle to his progress’, via Stade Rennais Online.
“It’s been a real obstacle to his progress. Despite everything, we know he’s a guy with great potential,” Bourdeau said in 2023.
“His body’s been letting him down a bit this season. He’s been able to string together sessions and matches. He’s a guy who’s progressed enormously in the N2 championship, particularly in terms of maturity.
“He lacked a bit of reliability, but now he has a real defensive spirit and is capable of playing well on the rebound. He’s a complete player who still has a lot of room for improvement.”
Though Bourdeau’s assessment of the player was incredibly positive with regard to his potential, his struggle with injury so early into his career will be a red flag for those in N5.
Arteta has already ignored Arsenal’s concerns about injury, pushing for the signing of Riccardo Calafiori, who missed 27 matches to injury in his debut campaign.
The Arsenal manager was left red-faced by the Italian’s unreliability, with a warning there that the same could happen with Jacquet.
Penny drop moment for Arsenal on the injury front
Players shouldn’t be judged solely on their ability to avoid injury, as such is impossible to prevent.
That being said, the subject is something Arsenal are paying more attention to, as per the understanding of ESPN.
ESPN notes that there has been ‘a recognition’ that lack of availability in the Arsenal squad cost the Gunners last season, which has ‘significantly influenced’ the summer transfer policy.
That doesn’t mean to say that Arsenal would remove players like Jacquet from their list, but his early struggles would surely be a point for discussion.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
