Liverpool have completed the signing of Ronald Araujo from Barcelona on a season-long loan deal, with an option to make the move permanent for £47.14million. The 27-year-old Uruguay international moves from the Nou Camp in one of the more surprising switches of the summer so far. Last term he was still serving as the skipper for the Spanish giants, but has now opted for a move away after seeing his minutes decline.
Defensive Reinforcements
He is the second defender to arrive at Anfield this summer after Jeremy Jacquet completed his switch from Rennes, further bolstering a backline that already has Virgil van Dijk as its leader. Joe Gomez has been injured in pre-season and has struggled to remain consistently fit.
Araujo has chosen the No 33 shirt, which was last worn a decade ago by Jordon Ibe. The centre-half becomes the fourth Uruguayan to play for the Reds, following in the footsteps of Darwin Nunez, Sebastian Coates and Luis Suarez.
Suarez's Support
Suarez remains one of the greatest Liverpool players of the Premier League era and was quick to reach out to his compatriot, congratulating him on his switch to Anfield.
“We loved watching the English Premier League and everyone in Uruguay gets up early in the morning to catch the games,” Araujo told the club's website. “Of course as a kid I used to watch Luis playing all those fantastic games for Liverpool. We all know what he achieved, the history that he made within this club during his time here. So it’s fantastic.
“From minute one, I’ve been sort of asked about that kind of comparison since I’ve arrived here. I get on really well with him, we’re quite close. Just a few minutes ago I got a good luck message from him saying all the best, you’ve joined a great club and all the very best for your time here.”
Pre-Season Struggles
Araujo comes into a Liverpool side that have endured a difficult pre-season. On Sunday they squandered a two-goal lead for the second time in a matter of weeks, losing to Monaco in Andoni Iraola's first game at Anfield. The Reds finished the friendly with youngster Luke Chambers and midfielder Wataru Endo as the centre-back pairing, underlining the need for new arrivals, with £55m signing Jacquet still getting fit.
Iraola was critical post-match and admitted that the team were not capable of sustaining their level for the 90 minutes, raising questions over whether they can implement his philosophy.
“We played a good first half, especially a good 30 minutes,” he said. “Right now we probably don't have much more, in terms of the levels required to play like this. They deserved to turn around the game.
“We won the first two pre-season games, but the last two we cannot sustain the level we want for all of the game.”
Transfer Plans
Iraola has made it clear that Liverpool need to make signings in the summer transfer window if they are to turn around their disappointing second campaign under Arne Slot. The Reds remain in the market for a world-class attacker, with Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola the number one target.
It has been a summer of upheaval for Liverpool, who changed manager before Fenway Sports Group chief Michael Edwards decided to quit, piling more pressure onto sporting director Richard Hughes. Meanwhile, FSG have been busy negotiating a 30 per cent investment from a consortium which includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
