Jeremy Jacquet's decision to join Liverpool over Chelsea earlier this year raised plenty of eyebrows at the time.
Chelsea had shown strong interest in the highly-rated defender, but the Blues missed out to Liverpool.
Liverpool eventually agreed a £55 million (plus £5 million in add-ons) deal with Stade Rennes and the 20-year-old is now expected to become part of the Reds’ first-team next season.
At the time, many Chelsea fans wondered why the Frenchman didn't want to play at Stamford Bridge, but Jacquet himself has now cleared up exactly why he didn't fancy it.
Jeremy Jacquet explains reason behind Chelsea transfer snub
Speaking about his decision to Ouest France, Jacquet admitted the playing time opportunities on offer at Liverpool were the main driving force behind his decision to move to Merseyside.
“I’m focused on football. I spoke with the management; the club’s history weighed heavily on my decision, but so did the project they offered me. At Chelsea, I felt there were quite a lot of [other] people," he said.
“Whereas at Liverpool, apart from the fact that Virgil van Dijk is nearing the end of his career, training with him is going to be huge. He’s going to teach me so much. There’s also Ibou Konate, who can help me settle in. Training with guys like that, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Chelsea’s squad has become notoriously bloated under BlueCo, particularly in defensive areas where the club have repeatedly stockpiled younger players without providing clear pathways towards first-team football.
By contrast, Liverpool offer a much clearer pathway and aren't overcrowded with fringe players in Jaquet's position.
More evidence of BlueCo's disastrous transfer policy
The defender's comments really are damning for BlueCo as their transfer policy continues to plague the side ever since they took charge in 2022.
The club’s scattergun approach has left Chelsea essentially hoarding players across multiple positions without balancing potential with experience.
When top talents start noticing and prefer to move elsewhere alarm bells should really be ringing because Jacquet is exactly the type of defender Chelsea should have signed when they had the chance.
Instead, Liverpool convinced him they could offer him more, and the rest is history.
Since being promoted to Stade Rennes' first team at the start of 2024, Jacquet, who also has five caps for France's under-21's, featured in 33 matches in all competitions.
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