Ronald Araujo is already winning over Liverpool fans with Barcelona sporting director Deco making a "spectacular" claim about the Uruguayan, who has done well under Andoni Iraola
Ronald Araujo in Champions League action for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid.
Ronald Araujo in Champions League action for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid.(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Ronald Araujo's flick into the path of Dominik Szoboszlai was not the primary reason for him being on the field against Atletico Madrid, but he did more than enough of the other stuff to justify his Liverpool place.
Under Andoni Iraola, the Reds had looked flimsy with Jeremie Frimpong at full-back against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest (albeit that wasn't all down to him). With Araujo, though, there have so far been no such worries.
Against Ipswich and then Atletico Madrid, Araujo looked like a solid presence at the back, with his defense-first approach helping build a platform for the more attack-minded stars to impress.
Of course, against Ipswich, Liverpool went two goals up quickly, so controlling that fixture and looking more defensively solid was easier. Against Atletico, it was different — and Araujo helped.
The Liverpool fans inside Anfield were impressed with what they saw, and there is much more to come from the Uruguayan, who adds vital experience having captained Barcelona.
According to The Athletic, Araujo has hired an English tutor to get up to speed with the language. Signing a jersey for young fan Isaac Kearney, with a social media going viral last week, will go a long way towards helping the positive feelings about him too.
Ronald Araujo looks on for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid.
Ronald Araujo impressed for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid.(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
"I love Ronald! I’m very fond of him, and I loved to see him doing well yesterday," the Barcelona sporting director Deco is quoted by Fabrizio Romano as saying on the Spanish radio station RAC1.
"I want him to succeed. At times, he hasn’t been able to perform at his best, but his time at Barca has been spectacular. He has a contract with us, and it’s still early days."
Liverpool, however, has the option to buy Araujo permanently for around $63 million (£47 million) when the season ends. At that point, he will be 28 years old.
"I think he's been very, very good," Andoni Iraola said in his post-match press conference after the Reds beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
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"The other day [against Ipswich] and he has been, I would say, even better today. I think he's defending really well his side, but also sometimes because he's a center-back, we underrate his offensive side.
"Today, he gives a great assist to Dom Szoboszlai. He's made a couple of very good serves from his position, and I'm very happy with him. Very happy.
"He's come with the willingness to show that he belongs to this level, and I hope we can keep him there because he's in a lovely place."