Hansi Flick (inset) and a Liverpool badge, alongside Ronald Araujo of Barcelona
Hansi Flick has explained why Ronald Araujo is swapping Barcelona for Liverpool
Hansi Flick has outlined what Liverpool fans can expect from incoming loan signing Ronald Araujo, while also explaining why the defender is leaving Barcelona.
Liverpool are closing in on the season-long loan acquisition of the Barcelona centre-back, which includes an option to buy him permanently next summer.
The 27-year-old, who will reportedly cost the Reds £47m if they take up that option, has helped the Catalan outfit win three of the past four La Liga titles and ended last season as club captain.
The Uruguay international still has five years left on his Barca contract but only made 11 league starts last season, as Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin were often preferred to the former Boston River player. Araujo was clearly struggling on and off the pitch, as last December, he was granted a leave of absence to prioritise his mental health.
The defender – who admitted he had been struggling with anxiety for 18 months before that “turned into depression” – was sent off away at Chelsea in the Champions League in late November and then ended up being the straw that broke the camel’s back.
In February, a month on from his return to football, he said of Barca manager Flick, “He took it very personally. He was upset about the situation. Flick knows my abilities, and it was clear I wasn’t performing to my full potential. He knew something was wrong.
“From the beginning, he sent me messages telling me to take it easy and recover, that the most important thing was to get through it well. That gives you peace of mind to recover because you know you have the support of the club, the manager, and your teammates. After making the decision, I had some really bad days; I didn’t want to get out of bed.
“It was tough because I’d always dreamed of playing football, and now I had to stop. Thank God my wife was key: she’s been incredibly strong and supported me. And then the messages from my teammates started pouring in—really kind messages that really lifted my spirits. They all wrote to me. It was a huge motivation.”
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Ronald Araujo not suiting Barcelona’s style of play
Fast forward to the present and it seems Flick is not fully convinced by Araujo, hence the club greenlighting his Liverpool loan move. Ahead of him joining the Premier League side, the German was full praise for the Uruguayan, while also lifting the lid on why it wasn’t working for him at the Blaugrana.
Following Barcelona‘s friendlies with Udinese and Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Flick said, “I think Ronald is a great guy and a fantastic player. I think our style of play, that we want to play, is a little bit different. He’s a player that has a lot of speed, he’s physical and very strong and also with the ball he’s quite good.
“We couldn’t include him like I wanted and also I think he wants to make something new. You know it more than me because in the past, something has happened, so this affected him.
“I saw him this morning and I said goodbye and I think he was very happy and Liverpool is also a fantastic club. I wish him all the best because he deserves it. He’s a fantastic guy and fantastic player and was a great captain.”
Incidentally, Fabrizio Romano claimed that Liverpool see Araujo as a centre-back, first and foremost, but also as a backup right-back. With defenders Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez, and Giovanni Leoni all out injured, the Barca man’s arrival is a timely one.
But Reds fans will be concerned they are stretching themselves too thin in that area of the pitch.
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