Araújo move offers immediate solution
Ronald Araújo was beginning his Liverpool medical on Sunday as the club moved closer to completing a loan deal for the Barcelona centre-back, according to The Times.
The agreement includes an option to sign Araújo permanently for £47m rather than an obligation, giving Liverpool flexibility beyond the coming season while addressing a much more immediate problem for Andoni Iraola.
Araújo, 27, has not been identified as a definitive long-term solution at centre-back. Instead, his arrival provides experienced cover at a moment when Liverpool’s defensive resources have been stretched to breaking point.
Virgil van Dijk is presently the only recognised senior centre-back available to Iraola after making his first appearance of pre-season against Monaco at Anfield.
Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Jérémy Jacquet are all unavailable, leaving Liverpool facing the prospect of starting their Premier League campaign at St James’ Park with a makeshift partnership unless the situation changes quickly.
Araújo could therefore arrive at precisely the moment Liverpool need him most.
Van Dijk partner remains uncertain
Jacquet is expected to return to training this week, but the France Under-21 international has not played any part in Liverpool’s four pre-season matches. His previous campaign with Rennes was cut short by a shoulder injury in February before he underwent surgery in March.
Even if Jacquet is able to feature against Como in Liverpool’s final pre-season fixture, selecting him alongside Van Dijk against Newcastle would represent a considerable gamble.
That makes Araújo an obvious candidate if his loan is completed and he proves sufficiently fit.
Wataru Endo represents another option. The midfielder finished the Monaco defeat at centre-back alongside Luke Chambers after replacing 18-year-old Ifeanyi Ndukwe at half-time.
Ndukwe, a £2.6m summer signing from Austria Vienna, has impressed during pre-season with his reading of the game and composure. However, he does not presently qualify for a work permit and Liverpool are expected to sanction a loan move, with Portugal mentioned as a possible destination.
The choices available to Iraola are therefore more limited than the number of defenders on Liverpool’s books might suggest.
Set-piece problems continue to concern Iraola
Personnel is only part of the problem.
Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat against Monaco offered another reminder of an issue which caused significant damage last season. Paris Brunner scored the visitors’ 88th-minute winner from a corner, rising highest to head home as Liverpool once again struggled to defend a set piece.
It followed two goals conceded from throw-ins against Leeds, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin capitalising at the back post.
Liverpool conceded 20 Premier League goals from set pieces excluding penalties last season, the joint-highest figure in the division alongside Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
That statistic carries additional significance because Bournemouth were managed by Iraola before his move to Liverpool.
Improving Liverpool’s organisation in those situations has been entrusted to assistants Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper, working alongside Lewis Mahoney, who remained from the previous coaching staff.
There is clearly work to do.
Iraola described his first match at Anfield as initially “lovely” before admitting it became “frustrating”, and the manner of Monaco’s winner demonstrated why.
Having Van Dijk back should provide greater authority, while the eventual return of Liverpool’s other centre-backs will create competition and allow the coaching staff to establish more settled combinations. Yet structural problems cannot simply be solved by inserting senior players into the team.
£47m option gives Liverpool valuable flexibility
Araújo’s prospective arrival should consequently be viewed through two different lenses.
For the opening weeks of the season, Liverpool need another senior centre-back. Araújo offers experience at Barcelona, international pedigree with Uruguay, physical strength and the athleticism required to defend aggressively.
Beyond that, Liverpool can assess whether he deserves to become part of their longer-term plans.
The £47m option is important because it avoids committing the club to a substantial transfer before Araújo has demonstrated how comfortably he fits Iraola’s football and how reliably he can stay available.
Liverpool will also have time to assess Leoni and Jacquet, two younger centre-backs whose development could influence future recruitment decisions.
For now, though, the question is considerably simpler.
Who partners Van Dijk at St James’ Park?
Endo can fill in. Jacquet could potentially accelerate his return. Chambers provides another emergency alternative. Yet none offers the combination of senior centre-back experience and physical profile that Araújo would bring.
Liverpool’s move for the Barcelona defender may have been designed as a temporary response to an awkward situation rather than the beginning of a £47m masterplan.
With Newcastle approaching and Van Dijk currently standing alone among Liverpool’s established centre-backs, however, that temporary solution could become important remarkably quickly.
