Andoni Iraola’s plan for Ronaldo Araujo could end up being a masterstroke

Andoni Iraola’s plan for Ronaldo Araujo could end up being a masterstroke Ronald Araujo's Liverpool move is now not that far away from being confirmed. The defender will be joining the Anfield outfit on a season-long loan with a €55 million option to buy . He can be used as a centre-back or a right-back and, even though his injury history leaves a lot to be desired, just a couple of years ago, he was seen as one of the world's best centre-backs. Of course, things have changed since then but if the defender can manage to get back to his best for Liverpool, he could end up being one of their most important signings of the season. However, since this deal came out of nowhere, it's unclear what Andoni Iraola's exact plans are for the Uruguayan, however, now that everyone has had a couple of days to think things through, Araujo's move could end up being a masterstroke . Ronald Araujo could be a stop-gap option before Liverpool re-sign Jarell Quansah As everyone knows, Liverpool's defence has been a major concern for them over the last couple of years. And, now that Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate have both exited , they're even less stable at the back. On the face of things, bringing Araujo in makes a lot of sense but, when he's been described as the Darwin Nunez of centre-backs, it does add a bit of worry to the thoughts of fans. However, the fact that it's only a season-long loan deal with an option to buy rather than an obligation is certainly reassuring. So, if things don't go to plan and Aruajo ends up flopping, they won't have any commitments. This deal also opens Liverpool up to being able to re-sign Jarell Quansah . The Reds have a buy-back clause included in his deal with Bayer Leverkusen and, if he has another season of performing well for the Bundesliga outfit, it's something that the Reds would certainly have to consider. He can play as a centre-back or a right-back and, since he'd be homegrown at the club, he'd be a perfect signing. Quansah is also younger than Araujo so he'd have more time to develop into an even better player than he already is. Liverpool should have never sold Jarell Quansah Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets Open an account and place a qualifying bet of £10 at min odds of 1/5 (1.2) or greater. 18+New UK/ROI customers. Min £5 deposit. Bet Credits available on settlement of qualifying bets, capped at £10 stake. Min odds 1/5 (1.20). Bet Credits expire in 7 days. Excl. Cashed Out/Free Bets/Boosted odds. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org £30 FREE CLAIM NOW 18+Gambling can be addictive — please only bet what you can afford to lose. For free support visit BeGambleAware.org or call 0808 8020 133 (free, 24/7). Self-exclude at GAMSTOP.co.uk . AnfieldWatch is not a licensed betting operator. Offers subject to change. The fact that Arne Slot rarely trusted anyone outside of his starting XI has really messed things up for Liverpool. As per the Premier League's rules, in order for clubs to be able to have a full 25-man squad, eight of those players need to be homegrown. At the moment, Liverpool don't have enough homegrown players to fill those spots which means that they could end up being a player or two down going into the start of the 2026-27 Premier League season. And, since homegrown players such as Elliott Anderson and Morgan Rogers are both being sold for over £115 million, it's clear that the English tax on players is going to be high this season. However, if Liverpool kept hold of Quansah last summer , he'd have probably replaced Konate and would've allowed Liverpool to use their last non-homegrown spot on someone other than Araujo. Hindsight is obviously a wonderful thing but, even when players such as Quansah and Tyler Morton were sold, fans questioned why Liverpool were doing it. There's now obviously less than a month left of the summer transfer window so deals need to be confirmed soon but, if the Reds had just kept hold of some of their first-team squad last season, they'd be in a much better position than they find themselves in now.