08 Aug 2026 10:58:22
Sounds like I am in the minority, but I am pretty excited by Ronald Araujo joining, even if on loan. Yes, he can be a little rash. Yes, there have been injury concerns. But the player has shown he can play at a high level, and is suited to play the high line that Liverpool will look to play.
Him and Virg together does feel like a strong partnership. Both capable of progressing the ball, either through breaking lines or long switches of play. Both tall enough to deal with aerial battles. And Araujo is no slouch, he can keep up with some of the quickest defenders around.
Plus, Araujo comes with something to prove, and we tend to buy those types of players and seem them flourish. A new environment might be just what he needs to refind the form that made people identify him as one of the best defenders around.
To me this seems like a no-brainer. I could be wrong, of course, and he gets injured stepping through the door of the AXA, with Jacquet following suit as he rushes to his rescue, but I can't see the future. In the here and now, he seems like a strong option to cover an area which needed real strengthening. And, we got that in Araujo.
08 Aug 2026 11:46:48
Miles better than Konate.
08 Aug 2026 11:56:45
The future is Leoni.
An old school classic out and out defender. Strong, fast, aggressive, great positional sense, great game intelligence and leader on the pitch. You could just sense these qualities while playing for Parma. He is everything Konate was not.
Just wait for Leoni to play for us from September. He is the future. He is the next Virgil.
08 Aug 2026 11:58:34
Totally agree, I'm excited.
Big strong lad, quick. ?
08 Aug 2026 12:01:04
I hope people get behind him and the lad does well.
Everyone was crying out for experienced cover at the back, and we've ended up with an international, current Barca captain, and at the right age. Low risk for the club too, given that it's a loan with an option to buy.
Baffling to me that so many people are being negative about it. Especially, considering quite a few people were on board with potentially taking John Stones on a free.
08 Aug 2026 12:07:43
He will
play RB ahead of ping pong and will shock people. He is so well suited to the prem.
08 Aug 2026 12:11:14
The lad has proven himself on the biggest stage, there's no doubt he possesses the ability, although there's been a lack in consistency. Is he the ideal solution? No, but he's more than capable of doing a job providing he can stay fit. He has experience at the highest level, I have high hopes, but valid concerns.
08 Aug 2026 12:19:42
I agree, Mango, I'm very happy with him. U don't play for Barca for the length he has, and also captained them without being a good player. I was very impressed with him 3/4 years ago, I haven't seen a lot of him recently, but if he can stay fit he could be ideal.
No transfer is ever a dead cert, so he mightn't work out, but I think it's a good move by the club and badly needed in the area he plays.
08 Aug 2026 12:37:11
Real Madrid fans are probably thinking, regarding Konate, you don't play over 100 games for Liverpool unless you're a top player.
Araujo will have my full support, but I understand the concerns.
08 Aug 2026 12:49:15
Really excited to see him play, as well. I watched him a bit, and he was very good at Barca in the CL and La Liga, and won things as Barca capt.
And just so people know, it is not an easy feat to be picked to captain and lead that club. Araujo has had issues, and sometimes, a change of surroundings is just what is needed.
He has all the tools to play in an Iraola system and is proven to be a certified commodity in Europe overall.
Welcome, Ronald. Looking forward to seeing you do your thing.
08 Aug 2026 13:42:10
I am not mad at the signing. I can see the vision, and, boy, do we need some bodies in before the window closes.
However, I am mad that it looks like we didn't really plan for Konate leaving, and had to resort to taking this kind of risk so late in the window.
It really could go either way.
Big pressure for Andoni, Virg and Alisson to get this lad up to speed and comfortable in what is a transitional period at the club.
I would like to think that Andoni has spoken to Bielsa about this player too. And if anything, Bielsa will have been pretty honest in his assessment.
If it works out, then we have some player on our hands.
08 Aug 2026 13:50:36
I am very happy with his loan signing, not sure where the downside is!
Ireola wants him. That works for me!
08 Aug 2026 16:19:16
FPF, I could be wrong, but I see Guehi/Jacquet as the plan the club had for Konate leaving. I think he had made known to the club that he won't be signing a new contract with us early on, hence why we tried to bring in Guehi and subsequently brought in Jacquet. So from my perspective, he had already been replaced.
Araujo was needed because Jacquet suffered an injury almost immediately after agreeing to sign for us and he has not been recovering well.
Add to that the injury Bradley suffered, and we crucially needed a CB who could also cover RB in a pinch. Araujo fits this almost perfectly. While there are rightfully concerns over his fitness, he is a good player who is brought in mostly as cover until Jacquet is ready to start alongside Vvd. I don't think he is brought in as a starter or a Konate replacement.