**Jamie Carragher has expressed concern at Liverpool signing Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona after his medical with the Reds on Saturday.**
Araujo’s agents were spotted at Anfield on Saturday with sporting director Richard Hughes as the Reds bolster their defensive options with the 27-year-old centre-back.
The loan signing means Liverpool can keep funds available to sign Bradley Barcola from PSG, which stands to be one of the most expensive signings the Reds have ever made.
Last summer, Liverpool spent £460m on new signings, while £94.6m has already been spent this year on signing Victor Munoz (£34.6m) and Jeremy Jacquet (£60m). The Araujo deal means that Liverpool get a centre-back in to replace Ibrahima Konate while spending nothing more than whatever the undisclosed nominal loan fee is set at.
Jamie Carragher bemoans Liverpool signing Ronald Araujo on loan
---------------------------------------------------------------
_“Liverpool should have gone for a centre-back with more experience instead of opting for a player who has always been a substitute for a 19-year-old Pau Cubarsi,”_ Carragher said on [Football Ramble](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2qYAwHVFU8B1JlF3oMeGX6?si=VZC955VZRzKZUxz6yzxmdg) podcast.
_“Arriving here on loan after being told that he is not a starter at Barça, he seems a bit reactive instead of a star signing._
_“I would rather have a permanent solution that fits into the system in the long term. Let’s watch him play first, but I’m not getting excited yet.”_
I disagree with Carra…again. Araujo is a good but not great signing
-------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s not permanent! Liverpool have signed Araujo on loan, and maybe he’s not the best centre-back in the world, but he suits Andoni Iraola’s brand of football, and won’t cost Liverpool much unless they decide to sign him full-time next summer by triggering the €55m (£47.6m) option to buy clause in the loan agreement with Barcelona.
Liverpool are going to need a complete cosmetic makeover of their back line next summer if Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet don’t fulfil the potential the club sees in them. Virgil van Dijk will be 36 next summer, and his pre-season cameo against AS Monaco is evidence that he is not as sharp as when he was 28, but Araujo is a good signing for now.
The idea that he’s not experienced doesn’t wash either. Araujo has played 213 games for Barca, and while his injury record isn’t great, he’s not supposed to be a signing for longevity. It’s a stop-gap solution and a fine one at that given the lack of available options in the centre-back market.
It’s true that Pau Cabarsi kept the 27-year-old benched last season, but his La Masia roots make him far more suited to Barcelona’s tiki-taka style of play. Araujo is a bully of a defender, and that’s what Liverpool need.