Liverpool's Clever Signing of Ronald Araujo on Loan
Liverpool’s late move for Ronald Araujo has been hailed as “very clever” business, with Glen Johnson arguing the deal could effectively save the club up to $100 million.
The Barcelona captain has arrived at Anfield on a season-long loan as a solution to a defensive crisis that developed faster than anyone at the club would have liked. Joe Gomez’s name was added to an injury list already containing Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, leaving Andoni Iraola suddenly stripped of depth at both center-back and right-back.
Jeremy Jacquet is back in training and is expected to feature in Sunday’s friendly double-header against Como, but the alarm bells had already rung. Liverpool moved, and they moved for pedigree.
A big defender, a small risk
Under the agreement with Barcelona, Liverpool will pay Araujo’s wages for the season and hold an option to buy him permanently next summer for £47 million ($63 million). No obligation, no over-commitment, but serious upside if it works.
By then, the club expects its next generation to be ready to step fully into the spotlight. Jacquet, 21, and Leoni, 19, are both viewed as long-term pillars of the backline. Their development is a major reason why Liverpool have not already plunged into the market for a blockbuster, permanent signing at center-back.
That makes the question of turning Araujo’s stay into a long-term deal far from straightforward. If the youngsters kick on as planned and Araujo commands a big wage and fee, Liverpool will have a decision to make.
Johnson, though, believes the club have played this one just right.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo on behalf of SeatPin, the former England right-back, who made 200 appearances for the Reds between 2009 and 2016, said: “Time will tell with the loan deal for Ronald Araujo, but I think it’s a very clever signing.
“Liverpool could have quite easily gone out and dropped £50 million to £100 million ($67 million to $135 million) on a new center-back, but they’ve shrewdly signed a great player on loan.
“He looks like a top defender who could thrive in the physicality of the Premier League, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
“That’s why I think it’s such a great piece of business by Liverpool. If he turns out to be a great player, they can sign him permanently at the end of his loan. But to me, it’s a risk-free deal which provides them great cover in a position they are desperate to fill right now.
“I like the fact they haven’t panic-bought someone, they’ve plugged a gap in a sensible way.”
Fighting for a place beside Van Dijk
Araujo does not walk into a guaranteed starting spot, even with the injuries. He joins a crowded, intriguing battle at the heart of Liverpool’s defense.
Jacquet, Leoni and Gomez will all be competing with the Uruguayan for a place alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, who turned 35 last month and is now into the final year of his contract. The Dutchman remains the standard-bearer, but the club is clearly preparing for a gradual changing of the guard.
This summer’s work underlines that shift. Along with Jacquet’s expected elevation and Araujo’s arrival, Liverpool have also brought in winger Victor Munoz, targeting both the present and the next phase of the squad.
The recruitment drive is not finished. Liverpool remain intent on adding more firepower out wide and are pushing to complete a major deal with Paris Saint-Germain for Bradley Barcola, a move that would reshape their attacking flanks.
For now, though, the focus inside the camp is simple: get Araujo settled, get the defense stable, and hit the ground running.
Liverpool open their Premier League campaign away to Newcastle on Sunday, August 23 — and by then, the “risk-free” loan signing from Barcelona may already be under pressure to look like a bargain.
