9/10 duels won: Liverpool must trigger £47m option-to-buy clause to make loan permanent

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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.

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. Andoni Iraola surprised fans by starting Araujo at right-back and to my pleasant surprise, he was outstanding.

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. 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.