Andrea Berta was ahead of curve on Liverpool player that rejected Arsenal transfer
Andrea Berta wanted to sign Jeremy Jacquet in his first summer transfer window at Arsenal
At the start of the 2025 summer transfer window, Andrea Berta's first at the helm with Arsenal, the Italian showed a keen interest in a certain young French central defender. It was Jeremy Jacquet.
Jacquet was quickly emerging as one of French football's brightest prospects. He still had plenty of steps to make in his development but the core qualities were there for all to see.
He was strong in duels, both aerially and on the deck, could break lines with his passing, was physically imposing up against opposition forwards and interestingly, could also operate at full-back.
The problem was, his talent was one of the worst-kept secrets within European football circles. A host of other top clubs were also monitoring his progress at Stade Rennes, creating the possibility of a high-profile bidding war.
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That didn't come, however, until January 2026 when Chelsea and Liverpool went toe-to-toe for Jacquet, now 21 and in line to make his first senior appearance for the France national team during the international break.
Berta had made advances for Jacquet the previous summer but the player and his camp eventually opted to stay with Rennes, extending his contract until 2029 in May 2025.
While he was ultimately unsuccessful, Berta's talent identification could not be thrown into question. He quite clearly felt that Jacquet was destined for the top and had all the tools required to play in the Premier League.
That's why Jacquet's emergence at Liverpool as Virgil van Dijk's first-choice defensive partner will come as no surprise to Berta, who landed Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia instead in a bargain deal worth an initial £13m.
Mosquera looks a fantastic prospect, too. He's even been nicknamed 'Baby Saliba' in Arsenal circles but the truth is, right now, Jacquet actually looks like one of the best centre-backs in the entire division outside of the usual suspects like Van Dijk, Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba, though he is currently injured.
Jeremy Jacquet has been a rock at the back for Liverpool
Arsenal could not have done any more to sign Jacquet, it appears it was merely his preference to remain in France to continue growing with regular playing time. Equally, they could have not have offered him the chance to play regularly in England - like Liverpool have.
In any case, we should acknowledge that Berta was on the ball where talent identification is concerned.
Mosquera was also a hit, particularly at the price he was purchased for but given Berta has received his fair share of credit of late, his interest in Jacquet shows he does in fact know what he's doing -even if he did eventually miss out on the Frenchman's signature.
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Ryan Taylor is a London-based Football Reporter who has worked across Reach's National titles since 2018. After graduating from the University of Brighton with a Sports Journalism degree, he previously climbed the ranks of the Daily Express, where he also covered boxing, before joining the Sunday Mirror as a Football Reporter in 2023. Ryan has developed a strong track record for breaking news on the London football beat.
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