Ronald Araujo arrived at Liverpool as the loan signing nobody was building a front page around. Ten games into the season the Uruguayan looks like one of the most useful deals Liverpool did all summer. He has started eight of their 10 matches under Andoni Iraola, he has covered both right-back and centre-back, and on Monday he sat in front of the cameras and talked about enjoying the whole thing.
Filling the hole on the right
Liverpool did not plan to sign a defender on loan this summer. The market simply did not offer what they wanted, then injuries forced the issue. Conor Bradley has been out since January with a knee injury, and Jeremie Frimpong is sidelined until the November international break with a muscle problem. Araujo, 27, came in on a season-long loan from Barcelona and walked straight into the gap.
Iraola was open about how it came about. "Ronald was one of those situations that before the market was not there and the situation appeared," the manager said. He described the first conversation as "quite encouraging" and saw a hungry, experienced player who had been at a top club and wanted to show his level. Iraola told him he might be needed at right-back, and Araujo said he was ready for anything.
Goals, a backheel and a fresh start
The contribution is already showing up on the scoresheet. Last week Araujo scored his first Liverpool goal, a header against LASK, and earlier he supplied a backheel assist for Dominik Szoboszlai against Atletico Madrid. Away from the pitch he is taking English lessons, and those close to him say he carries mate, the Uruguayan tea-like drink, wherever he goes.
His last year at Barcelona was not easy. He was given a leave of absence to prioritise his mental health, and the move to England felt like a decision that suited everyone. He took a wage cut to make it work. Asked about the city, Araujo said people in Liverpool seem even more intense about football than in Barcelona, and then added, "But that's lovely."
A decision for Liverpool in the summer
Liverpool hold an option to buy Araujo at the end of the season for £47.2m. That is a heavy figure, and BBC Sport reports it remains an unlikely outcome. Araujo himself would not be drawn on his future, calling it "very early to talk about these things" and saying he just wants to enjoy every day and keep playing.
The centre-back picture will get complicated either way. Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez both have contracts that expire this summer. Jeremy Jacquet, 21, has settled in since joining from Rennes, 19-year-old Giovanni Leoni hopes to return next month from an ACL injury, and Liverpool can buy back Jarell Quansah from Bayer Leverkusen. Sporting director Julian Ward has plenty to weigh up, and if Araujo keeps playing like this, the question of what to do about him becomes a real one.
Transfer context: Ronald Araujo, 27, Uruguay international (29 caps), on a season-long loan at Liverpool from Barcelona with an option to buy for £47.2m next summer. Started 8 of Liverpool's 10 games under Andoni Iraola. First Liverpool goal: a header against LASK. Source: BBC Sport.
0 Comments