Liverpool’s New Defensive Signings: Jacquet and Ndukwe

Andoni Iraola has barely had time to settle into his new office at Kirkby, but two of Liverpool’s most intriguing summer arrivals are already waiting for him.

They are not his signings. They belong to the brief, turbulent Arne Slot era. Yet Jeremy Jacquet and Ifeanyi Ndukwe could end up shaping the first phase of Iraola’s reign.

Two new faces, one rebuilt defence

Liverpool have lost three pillars in one summer: Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté. That kind of exodus rips out experience, leadership and reliability in one go. It also forces a reset.

Into that vacuum steps Jacquet, a £60million investment from Rennes, and Ndukwe, the 18‑year‑old plucked from Austria Vienna. Two defenders, two big bets on the future, and two players Iraola did not choose but must now fast‑track into his plans.

Jacquet, 20, arrives with the sort of reputation that makes clubs pay premium fees. One of the most highly regarded young centre-backs in Europe, he is expected to be ready for pre-season after shoulder surgery, according to The Athletic. Konaté’s departure has only sharpened the spotlight. What might have been a bedding-in year could quickly become a baptism by fire.

The Frenchman knows exactly what he has walked into.

“I won't say it was a quick one, because I took my time with this big step but I quickly saw myself at Liverpool,” he told Ouest-France. “I'll be 21 in July. For me, there's the sporting project and the personal project.

“At my age, I prioritise the sporting side. I'm focused on football. My agent told me there were two choices: either go to a mid-table club or skip the step altogether. Initially, we were leaning towards a mid-table club.

“But then I told him, 'If the biggest clubs in Europe are interested, we're not going to turn them down. They're there for a reason.' I spoke with the management; the club's history weighed heavily on my decision, but so did the project they offered me.

“Promising young players command quite high prices and of course, that adds pressure: am I worth that price or not? I think I have the minimum resources to go there. I'm going there to play as much as possible.”

That last line will echo around the training ground. He is not coming to watch.

Ndukwe, the giant from Austria

Alongside him, Ndukwe is a different type of story but part of the same strategy.

At 6ft 6in, the teenager dominated at the Under-17 World Cup, dragging Austria all the way to the final and drawing a crowd of admirers across Europe. Liverpool moved quickly, taking him from Austria Vienna and slotting him into a growing cluster of elite prospects.

His signing sits in the same file as Trey Nyoni from Leicester City and Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea: Liverpool hunting aggressively in the youth market, aiming to secure the best of Europe’s next generation before their prices explode.

For Iraola, Ndukwe is raw material. Height, presence, tournament pedigree at youth level – and years of work ahead. For Liverpool, he is another long-term defensive project at a time when the back line is being reshaped on the fly.

Iraola’s kind of project

If there is a silver lining to the upheaval, it is this: Iraola knows how to build with young players.

At Rayo Vallecano and Bournemouth, he forged reputations, not just teams. Players grew under him. They ran, pressed, took risks, and improved. Liverpool’s hierarchy will expect the same now with Jacquet, Ndukwe and the rest of the new core.

The Spaniard understands the scale of the job, but he did not hesitate when Anfield called. Speaking to the club’s official website, he laid out the pull of the role in simple terms.

“You don't need a lot of things to get attracted by Liverpool,” he said. “Liverpool is Liverpool. But obviously the atmosphere, the supporters, the club, the players, the chance for me to coach top-level players, the chance to fight for titles. I think it cannot be more attractive than this. It's difficult to find it. So, really excited to start.”

Titles. Top-level players. A squad in transition and two new defenders he did not sign but will be judged on how he uses.

Liverpool’s rebuild has already started. The question now is whether Jacquet and Ndukwe become symbols of a new era – or reminders of one that never truly got going.