Liverpool hand Jeremy Jacquet the No.5 shirt vacated by Konate after £60m arrival

Jeremy Jacquet has been officially handed the No.5 shirt at Liverpool, inheriting the number from Ibrahima Konate just weeks after beginning pre-season training with his new team-mates at Anfield.

Konate departed the club when his contract expired in June, subsequently joining Real Madrid on a free transfer. Liverpool had already moved to replace him, paying £60 million to sign the 21-year-old French defender from Rennes in January, though Jacquet remained with the Ligue 1 club until the end of the season.

The No.5 carries significant weight at Anfield. Konate received it upon his arrival from RB Leipzig in 2021, taking it from Georginio Wijnaldum, while club legends Alan Hansen, Mark Lawrenson, and Steve McManaman have all worn it across different eras.

Jacquet missed the closing weeks of last season with a shoulder injury but says his recovery is progressing well ahead of schedule. “I feel much improved and I will be 100 per cent ready for the start of pre-season because I’m a little ahead of schedule,” he told club media. “I was given the go-ahead to start a programme of training with the group at Rennes, but it was a bit late to be with the team. But with continued hard work I’ll be fully fit before the season.”

The former Clermont Foot loanee spoke enthusiastically about his move. “It’s a legendary club, and the football philosophy and project really appealed to me. My family and I believe we have made the right choice and we feel really happy here.”

Jacquet is expected to form Liverpool’s central defensive partnership alongside Virgil van Dijk, a prospect he described with clear excitement. “Of course, I’m really excited to line up alongside a great player like him. I think he’s up there with the best centre-backs in the world currently, so I can only learn from him.”

Liverpool’s other summer signing, Victor Munoz, remains absent as Spain prepare for the World Cup final against Argentina on Sunday. New head coach Andoni Iraola, speaking at his first press conference on Monday, confirmed the club intend to add further reinforcements. “We’ve signed two players already but we need more players,” Iraola said. “The club are working on this.”