People are optimistic that loaning Araujo meets Liverpool’s short-term needs and will not hinder the development of the young central defender. It also provides a smart way to plan for contract expiry.
There is some dissatisfaction with Araujo joining Liverpool, but I am very optimistic about this arrangement. To me, a loan deal makes more sense than a permanent deal.
We have Van Dijk, the captain of our club, he rarely gets injured and he will be a regular starter. Sure, he’s getting older, but he’ll have a point to prove this year as he enters the final year of his contract and young challengers are emerging. Gomez returned a few weeks later.
Central defender profile and long-term plans
We have signed a number of young players who will integrate into the team in the coming years. Two are big money, Jacquet and Leoni, and the other two have very bright prospects, Ndiaye and Nduiwe.
The plans for the future don’t stop there. Reports suggest the plan next summer is to bring back Quansah for £52m, as agreed in the sale to Bayer Leverkusen. With another full season in Germany, he can return a more mature player.
As mentioned above, VVD is in the final year of his contract and will likely leave at the end of the year. Gomez is also entering his final year and could be on his way out. Quansah may replace one of them.
Short-term injuries and giving young guys a chance
Given the current injury, Gomez will return at the end of this month. Jacquet is about to return, while Leoni may be out for another 2-3 months (according to reports). Obviously, it’s easy for us in the short term, but these guys will be back soon and will all want playing time.
Of course, this should be a competitive environment, and hopefully one based on meritocracy, now that Sloter’s inexplicable continued use of Konate as the first option is over.
I’m a proponent of using young players as an in-house solution to a short-term injury crisis and there’s no problem with N’diaye joining our FT squad on opening day if needed. These situations are exactly when young players should get a chance to show what they can do. He was assigned to the ESC position, which shows he is our top young center back.
Unfortunately Ndukwe has a work permit problem. This is partly due to Slot’s refusal to integrate young people last season, resulting in a reduction in the number of ESC places we were allocated. Poor planning there, and if we subconsciously sign every time an injury occurs, that mistake will be repeated again.
Araujo: Low risk, big upside
This brings us to Araujo. This guy can play CD and RB, is a Uruguay international and was captain of FC Barcelona as recently as January. He had some issues with his mental health and took a break from football after making some mistakes and being crucified by the media, but he recovered, returned to training and helped the team win the La Liga title.
His injury issues have been exaggerated. He will turn 27 in March this year and has played 305 games in his career so far (excluding international football). Joe Gomez, a full two years older, had shot 298.
This guy clearly thinks he needs a change of scenery and is a low-risk option. If successful, we could snap him up for the 27/8 season on the cheap. As mentioned earlier, VVD and Gomez were in the last years of their lives. This is a good opportunity to see if Araujo can step up and be a ready replacement.
I would like to add that I don’t think Araujo is great as a RB, he is a CD to me and a good CD at that and does have the potential to be very good. I read a comment here about his lack of physicality and it made me laugh. Apparently the poster has never seen him play. Araujo is the dominant CD in Uruguayan tradition.
Given our problems with set-pieces last season, he might prove to be exactly what we need. If unsuccessful, there will be no significant financial loss.
VVD and Araujo were our opener partners, with Ndiaye on the bench. As the season progressed, Gomez, Jacquet and Leoni came to prominence.
As well as wishing Araujo success, I also hope that some of the young lads will become real stars in the coming years. Rather than being pessimistic and critical of players before they play, I look forward to seeing what they can do and cheering them on. Can’t wait for the season to start.
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