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Liverpool have big hopes for Jeremy Jacquet having invested £60m to bring the highly regarded young central defender to Anfield this summer. An injury disrupted his pre-season, but the Frenchman looks worth the wait.Originally signed as an understudy to the established centre-back partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, with a view to eventually succeeding that duo alongside teenage defender Giovanni Leoni, Jacquet now looks set to replace his fellow Paris-born defender after Konate's departure on a free transfer at the end of last season.Joe Gomez was in contention to line up alongside Van Dijk in Liverpool's Premier League opener at Newcastle, live on Sky Sports, only for the long-serving defender's injury curse to strike again in pre-season.And with 19-year-old Leoni, brought in from Parma last summer as Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group looked to bring down the average age of the first-team squad, still recovering from the ACL injury he cruelly sustained on his Reds bow in September, Jacquet looks set to be required on the opening weekend.In six months from last summer through to January 2026, Liverpool agreed deals for five centre backs who were aged 20 or under at the time - Leoni, Ndiaye, Ndukwe, Noah Adekoya and JacquetThe 21-year-old's shoulder problem prematurely ended his season with Rennes just days after agreeing to move to Liverpool in February, but after proving he had recovered from that injury by finally making his Reds debut in their final preseason friendly with Como, expect him to now start alongside Van Dijk this weekend.When Jacquet agreed to join Liverpool in February, turning down Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the process, Arne Slot was still in charge at Anfield. But with the Dutchman having since departed, the defender will now begin life on Merseyside under a new head coach as Liverpool look to bounce back from a disjointed Premier League title defence last season.One of the biggest issues for the reigning champions last season was at the back. Only Iraola's Bournemouth conceded more goals among the teams that finished in the top 10, while Liverpool's tally of 53 goals against was their highest in a 38-game Premier League campaign.Stream the Premier League with no contractOf those 53 goals, 20 came from set-pieces - another unwanted Premier League record and a glaring weakness that resurfaced in the collapse against Leeds, when Liverpool's makeshift defence conceded four goals in just 25 second-half minutes, including two from long throws.All of which seems a significant burden for a player with fewer than 100 senior appearances to his name in all competitions, including just 37 league outings, to shoulder. Yet there is a reason Arsenal were also tracking Jacquet closely last summer before Liverpool moved decisively to invest £60m in January, making him the fourth-most expensive defender aged 21 or under in football history.Jacquet, who hails from the Bondy commune in Paris, came through Rennes' renowned academy, which in recent years has produced and sold the likes of Desire Doue, Mathys Tel and Lesley Ugochukwu. However, it is the Frenchman who now stands as the Brittany club's record sale, surpassing even Ousmane Dembele and Doue.While attempting to break into the Rennes first team, the Frenchman was sent on two loan spells at Clermont, the second of which came in Ligue 2. Explaining his decision to L'Equipe, he said: "It was either stay at Rennes with little playing time or go and discover something new. I chose minutes on the pitch - and it paid off."Rennes paid nearly €1m (£856,000) to cut short that second loan spell in February 2025, with Jacquet returning to establish himself as a key figure in their first team. Such was his importance to the Ligue 1 club that they insisted on keeping him for the remainder of last season as part of negotiations with Liverpool during the winter window."He had a loan at Clermont that went well," European football expert Kevin Hatchard told Sky Sports News. "He was playing for Rennes but it shows you just how much they rated him that they really didn't want to let him go in this [January] window."His coach Habib Beye said, 'If we let him go this season, we'll have to downgrade our goals for the season'."

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In his latest column, Paul Merson predicts the 2026/27 Premier League season at both ends of the table.The new season kicks off on Friday as champions Arsenal host promoted Coventry City, with six games live on Sky Sports over the course of the opening weekend.Merson has picked his top six, assessed the contenders for relegation and selected one team to overachieve and upset the big boys this season...I just can't see anybody stopping Arsenal. They'll win it quite comfortably. I don't see a single weakness in them regarding the Premier League.They do have a few weaknesses in the Champions League but for the Premier League, they remind me of when Manchester City first started dominating the league: two players in every position.William Saliba and Gabriel are unbelievable but then Cristhian Mosquera comes in and you wouldn't even think Saliba was missing. Jurrien Timber is out but Ben White comes in and keeps Jeremy Doku quiet.

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There are reunions for players to cherish. Alexander Isak's return to St James' Park on Sunday will not be that. The Newcastle supporters will make their feelings known. That is beyond his control. Isak's job is to focus on winning over those fans in Liverpool red.This classic Premier League opener comes one year on from the incendiary statement by the Swedish striker that his relationship with Newcastle "cannot continue" due to broken promises and trust. And one year on, his Liverpool career has not yet ignited.Isak was absent from this meeting last season, although his spectre loomed over it. Some might say the real Isak is yet to reappear. Three Premier League goals for Liverpool last season barely hinted at the reasons why they committed to paying £130m for him.Without a proper pre-season, he arrived at Anfield not fully fit and that hampered his ability to make a fast start. A fractured fibula in December denied him the chance to find the sort of rhythm that strikers rely on. But there is a reason why the fee was so high.The acrimony awaiting Isak reflects the sense of betrayal felt by those in the Gallowgate End and beyond, but it also speaks to his record. In his final two seasons at Newcastle, only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah scored more goals in the Premier League.He was the man who scored what turned out to be winner - against Liverpool of all teams - to end the club's 56-year trophy wait. Elegant and willowy, he does not have the frame of a typical terrace idol, but his cool and clinical finishing from all angles made him a favourite.There is little point relitigating last summer but what is clear is that Isak's first year in a Liverpool shirt was largely wasted. Their fans have not seen nearly enough of those first-time finishes, the man who glides across the ground, always seeming to have time.For Isak, 27 next month, that needs to change. And it is why a fixture loaded with meaning is actually more about the future than the past. One year on from that record-breaking move, can he still become the player who Liverpool thought they were buying?Speaking at the start of pre-season, new Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola said: "I think he was good in the World Cup. He will have three or four weeks of quality training, I hope we can put him in a good place because he is going to be massive for us this season."Unlike many others for whom fatigue must be a concern, Isak's World Cup involvement should be a help not a hindrance. There have been some positive signs. He scored against Monaco. Watching him against Como, you had to look a bit harder to find them.His best moment came early, a measured shot on the angle as he connected beautifully to strike the foot of the far post. It was an effortless finish, Isak at his best, all precision over power, an attempt to leave you wondering how the goalkeeper had been beaten."I am asking them to do things that are a little bit different, especially without the ball and I think they are trying to get it," said the Liverpool boss after the Como game. Isak himself commented on it after Monaco. "We are all working hard to make things work."It is the physical demands rather than anything technical or tactical that are likely to dictate his success. For example, Isak actually outperformed his expected goals for a fourth consecutive Premier League season last time out. He remains a fine finisher.While Arne Slot complained about the team's inability to take their chances, the issue for Isak was that he was not getting on the end of those chances. That is the reason why his strike-rate last season was at its lowest level since his arrival in English football.Again, the explanation is most likely physical. Isak's top speed last season was down. Rediscovering that spark is vital. In the sixth minute of the match against Como, there was applause when he chased a ball down the right channel but could not get there.Wirtz talked of working on the connection after Monaco when both scored. It did not quite click for the pair at the weekend. Their best bit of interplay came early in the second half when Isak skewed a shot well wide after being set up by the German playmaker.There were other nearly moments. Isak hesitating on the edge of the box after 70 seconds and the chance disappearing. Cody Gakpo brilliantly darting between two only for Isak's touch to be loose. Groans as he failed to read a Dominik Szoboszlai dummy.Hints and clues, then, but not the emphatic proof that Isak is fully fit and ready to fire, not the man Liverpool bought, the sure thing, the goal machine, the difference maker. When he steps out at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon, it would be some time to show it.

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Fans can watch free highlights on the free Sky Sports app after every match round, as well as getting debate and analysis with the Essential EFL podcast and The EFL Show on Sky Sports News, a new weekly slot every Monday from 2pm.Wolves hold the tag of second favourites for the Championship title at 5/1 with Sky Bet - and rightly so - but I'm always wary of backing teams that have made losing football matches a habit, especially in the early stages of a season when playing a level down.When assessing the last 10 teams that enter the Championship having taken 25 or points or less in the Premier League, their record across the first five games of the season is poor. Of those 50 games, the relegated team won just 15 - a strike rate of just 30 per cent.The market has Wolves in at 1/2 here, meaning an implied probability of 66 per cent. That looks a shade too high for me, based on the unknowns still regarding this Wolves side. Also, those 50 games also produced a goals per game average of 2.1 which points towards this being a low-scoring fiddly opener for Wolves, who might be lacking some rhythm.Tony Mowbray takes charge of Blackburn again and despite his health issues and below-par results at his last three clubs, his teams did only concede 1.1 expected goals per 90 minutes across that 85-game sample size. Under 2.5 goals at Evens with Sky Bet is the bet.Got Sky? Watch EFL games LIVE on your phonePreston had a very strong record away from home against the bottom half last season, losing just three of those 15 games but there was a big over-performance which averaged at 0.9 goals per game when you analyse the expected goals supremacy.The departure of captain Ben Whiteman to Wrexham and the loss of important attacking contributions from Lewis Dobbin and Daniel Jebbison also give Paul Heckingbottom a problem. He saw his team lose four on the bounce in pre-season and a season of struggle could be on the cards.Looking at previous seasons, newly-promoted teams in the Championship have a solid record of starting the season full of momentum and Bolton can land favourites backers a winner here at 5/4 with Sky Bet.There is a temptation to look at Millwall's third-place finish last season and think: that was a bit of a freak, wasn't it?Millwall were third because they were really good at accumulating points.They won 24 of their 46 league matches, lost only 11 and conceded just 49 goals. Alex Neil has brought a greater degree of tactical flexibility without taking away the characteristics you associate with Millwall. His teams are organised, competitive and pragmatic but there is more individual quality within this squad than we've seen from many previous Millwall sides.This summer represents a more substantial attempt to change direction for Bristol City which makes them a difficult team to rate, but with such upheaval this looks a good time for Millwall to go there and do Millwall things. Away win at 17/10 with Sky Bet.John Eustace is a manager that can be relied upon to get his team ready for the first game. Over the first five games of a season, he has a terrific points-per-game average of 1.6 where he's lost just three of 20 matches.Eustace took a side that had been fighting near the bottom of the table and pushed it to eighth last season in typical no-nonsense fashion. His football is rarely extravagant, but it is consistently effective. Derby played with only 44.4 per cent possession last season but made a genuine play for the play-offs.Patrick Agyemang's long-term injury could be a problem, but Carlton Morris and Sammie Szmodics carry huge quality in the final third which may prove the difference here. Morris to score in a Derby away win comes out at 7/2 with Sky Bet.Middlesbrough spent much of last season looking like a team heading for the Premier League without receiving the end reward, suffering the unusual fate of losing both a play-off semi-final and a final.If you were judging teams on how well they actually played football rather than simply counting the goals that went in, there is a very strong argument that Middlesbrough were the best team in the Championship once Kim Hellberg took charge.The underlying numbers were exceptional. Boro allowed fewer shots than anyone in the division and produced the Championship's best shot ratio. They collected 80 points from an expected 83.2 and created 109 big chances while conceding only 68. Few teams have a stronger statistical case for improvement.Hellberg has had his first full pre-season to refine a side that increasingly carries his identity: aggressive, possession-heavy and designed to overwhelm opponents territorially.Hayden Hackney has left but Hellberg has the credentials to plug that gap. They look a great bet to win promotion at 5/2 with Sky Bet and can start with a home win.Norwich were heading towards a relegation battle when Philippe Clement arrived last November but by May they had become one of the division's strongest sides and were left wondering what might have happened with a competent opening third of the season.Norwich averaged only 0.91 points per game across their opening 23 fixtures but 1.91 across the final 23.There was a similar tale for the Baggies, in terms of manager bounce, as club legend James Morrison stepped in and restored order, losing only twice in his closing 12 games and earning the job permanently.It's expected both of these teams will be pushing for a top-eight finish and could be hard to separate on the opening day. The draw at 11/4 with Sky Bet is a runner.Rumarn Burrell is a player to watch and potentially make a profit out of this season. A breakout season could be on the cards.Burrell's first full Championship campaign produced 10 goals in 30 appearances and there's a fairly obvious case for improvement from a striker who was still adapting to the level.There is creativity behind him too. It's where QPR's strengths lie.Ilias Chair, Koki Saito, Harvey Vale and Kwame Poku give Rangers different ways of supplying the front line, while Burrell already showed in his first season that chances don't have to arrive in huge quantities for him to score.He is 66/1 to be Championship top goalscorer and 15/2 to open the scoring against Pompey.Swansea may have won the transfer window based on their business.The ownership group has invested significantly in the squad and infrastructure, while a recruitment partnership with Jamestown Analytics represents a potentially important change in how Swansea identify talent. Linking up with Tony Bloom is never a bad thing.Elijah Just, Joseph Opoku and Moussa Yeo add fresh attacking options while Ross Stewart offers proven goalscoring pedigree if his troublesome injury record can finally be overcome.Eight consecutive bottom-half finishes since relegation from the Premier League for Stoke have made the club quite predictable and a tiresome watch for the locals. Swansea can start with a bang and win at 9/5 with Sky Bet.If you were backing Birmingham blindly away from home last season, my thoughts and prayers are with you.You'd have lost £12.51 to level stakes with a return of investment at -55 per cent.Chris Davies' side averaged 1.91 points per game at home but only 0.87 on the road and the manager is under pressure to deliver results to save his job. I can't see why much will change though despite Davies revealing to my colleague Adam Bate that a change of style will make them more competitive this season.Chris Wilder has clearly tried to make last season's defensive problems at Sheffield United a priority as the Blades have kept four clean sheets from five games across pre-season and the Carabao Cup. At 4/5 with Sky Bet, with the insurance of stakes returned if a draw, the Blades look a great play on the draw no bet market.Amid all the end-of-season turbulence at Southampton, it's easy to forget that under Tonda Eckhart they took four more points than any other Championship team from January 2 and they ended the campaign unbeaten in their final 19 league games (W14 D5).Despite the four-point deduction, they have to be on any potential promotion shortlists.Crucially, the summer has brought continuity rather than mass exodus. Goalkeeper Daniel Peretz and Cyle Larin have turned successful loans into permanent moves while Léo Scienza, arguably the most devastating wide player in the Championship, is staying for the ride. This should be a winning start, with them to win by two or more goals at 3/1 with Sky Bet worth a poke.There is a slightly awkward question lurking behind all the talk of West Ham bouncing straight back to the Premier League.Are they actually built to dominate the Championship?On paper, the answer looks obvious. They have Jarrod Bowen, for starters.West Ham are the shortest-priced team in the division for promotion. They are currently around 1/2 favourites to go straight back up with Sky Bet.However, is the type of football that has made Nuno Espirito Santo successful going to be as effective against Championship opponents who are perfectly happy to let West Ham have the ball? That could be the defining tactical question of West Ham's prospects.Meanwhile, Burnley, now under the charge of Nicky Hayen, are expected to be a possession-oriented side. Hayen has spoken about wanting attacking football, while his coaching background describes a possession-based approach.This means West Ham might not have to solve that tactical problem immediately as this game should suit Nuno's style. They are 13/10 with Sky Bet for the away win.Phil Parkinson demonstrated last season that his methods could survive the jump into the second tier, adapting the team's shape during the season after a difficult start.Wrexham did, however, score just 69 goals from chances worth only 56.9 based on the data and collected 71 points from an expected total below 60. They were also outshot significantly across the season. It may prove tricky for Parkinson to build, based on the lack of transfer movement, with a heavy reliance on Kieffer Moore to lead the charge.Youth will be to the fore for Cardiff in their bid to survive following promotion. Dylan Lawlor leads an exciting collection of academy graduates and Ruben Colwill is a serious talent - one that is capable of scoring in the Championship. He is 100/30 with Sky Bet to bag on Monday.2pts on Sheffield United draw no bet vs Birmingham (4/5 with Sky Bet)1pt double on Sheffield United draw no bet vs Birmingham & under 2.5 goals in Wolves vs Blackburn (5/2 with Sky Bet)