Paul Merson ‘shocked’ Chelsea missed out on £55m transfer this January

Paul Merson says he is ‘shocked’ that Chelsea were beaten to a deal for Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet by Liverpool this January.

Chelsea had been exploring a bid for Jacquet and appeared to make a significant breakthrough in their move as they agreed personal terms with the 20-year-old.

Jacquet, enjoying only his second full season as a professional, has established himself as one of the most promising young defenders in French football in recent months and was heavily linked with Arsenal last summer.

But in the final few days of the transfer window, Liverpool struck a stunning deal for the youngster, worth around worth £55million plus £5m in add-ons, blowing their rivals out of the water.

However, Jacquet will remain with Rennes for the remainder of the campaign before joining up with the reigning Premier League champions until the summer.

It comes as something of a surprise to Merson that Liverpool are happy to wait for Jacquet given Arne Slot’s current injury woes in defence, with Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong all currently sidelined.

‘Yeah, I found that extraordinary that he’s coming in the summer,’ ex-Arsenal, Aston Villa and England midfielder Merson said of Liverpool’s move for Jacquet on Sky Sports News.

‘They need a centre-half in now to fight for the top four or top five. So yeah, it surprises me.

‘I’m majorly shocked. I don’t know why this kid is staying in France until the start of next season,.

‘If you’re paying that amount of money then you’re going, “We want him now, we want him today!”, and that’s the problem.

‘I don’t know if it’s FFP rules, I don’t know if it is that. If that is the reasoning then I understand.’

Like many, Merson wrongly assumed Chelsea had won the race for Jacquet when they wrapped up an agreement with the defender’s camp last month.

Merson is, though, relieved to see Josh Acheampong stay put at Stamford Bridge after some rumours had been circulating linking the 19-year-old with a possible temporary move this January.

‘Jacquet is a good signing for Liverpool and, as a Chelsea fan, I’m shocked that he hasn’t gone to Chelsea,’ Merson – a lifelong fan of Chelsea – added.

‘I know Chelsea have got a lot of centre-backs but I think there’s a lot that need to come in and out of Chelsea in my opinion.

‘But I am glad Acheampong has stayed but I think he’s going to be a proper, proper player that kid.’

Jacquet is not the only French defender to find himself on Chelsea’s radar this winter, with Nantes’ Tylel Tati known to be high up on the wishlist of Stamford Bridge bosses.

But according to reports in France, the Blues saw an initial offer of £26m knocked back by Nantes and a move for the 18-year-old is unlikely to materialise before tonight’s transfer deadline.

Facing the media last week, Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior made no secret of the fact that he expects to have limited involvement when it comes to the club’s transfer dealings.

‘That’s the beauty of being a head coach within a structure,’ Rosenior told reporters.

‘I’m not an old-school manager that’s got out the phone and is making calls.

‘I’ve got the best people, I think, in world football working on those things.

‘I probably see the last two per cent of the work they do, which allows me to focus on what I need to focus on: the team and the performance.’

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