At the risk of being too reactionary, I think Liverpool should already consider triggering the £47m option-to-buy clause in Ronald Araujo’s contract.
After Liverpool announced a surprise loan agreement with Barcelona to bring Araujo to Anfield this summer, I spoke to a few Culés to get the lowdown on the Uruguayan defender.
I couldn’t understand how a player who always seemed to be fantastic when I watched him would be allowed to leave on loan to a European rival like Liverpool.
At 27, as Barcelona captain, it just seemed really weird to me.
The verdict I got from Barca fans was that while Araujo’s passion, defensive commitment, and leadership were never in question, he simply didn’t match the demands that Hansi Flick placed on his defenders.
This seemed fair, but it still seemed strange to me.
His performances for Liverpool so far have only strengthened this feeling, because the Barcelona star is simply fantastic.
Against Ipswich Town, he was defensively superb. Liverpool went into the game under a lot of pressure after successive 2-2 draws with Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, needing a win desperately.
A lot of the pre-match speculation was centred around the weakness of Jeremie Frimpong at right-back, with the consensus being that Dominik Szoboszlai would be used out of position at right-back again.
Andoni Iraola surprised fans by starting Araujo at right-back and to my pleasant surprise, he was outstanding.
The stats speak for themselves.
1 – Ronald Araújo on his first Premier League start, with his match ranking:
? Most duels won (9/10)
? Most aerial duels won (6/6)
? Joint-most clearances (7)Reinforced. pic.twitter.com/e8BRw55zti
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 4, 2026
Liverpool should now consider using Araujo in the same way that Mikel Arteta used Piero Hincapié at left-back to great effect last season. While naturally a centre-back, the Ecuadorian was used out of position to provide added defensive solidity, and this needs to be the case for Liverpool this season.
Given that Iraola’s style of play requires Liverpool midfielders and forwards to bomb forward at every available opportunity, the risk is that they overcommit in attack and are left exposed at the back.
Using Araujo at right-back reduces some of this risk, while also freeing Milos Kerkez to follow his chaotic instincts to fly forward when it might seem more rational to hold his position.
And, with all due respect to him, it reduces the need to use Frimpong at fullback, where he is a liability.
