Arsenal have made a proposal for 23-year-old Barcelona defender, Ronald Araujo. This is according to reports whose source is trusted Spanish journalist Gerrard Romero. Manchester United and Chelsea both showed their interests in Araujo. However, Chelsea had to back off after their current situation surrounding the club. Arsenal took advantage and have proposed a €6million annual salary, which is still €2m short of what United are offering.
Ronald Araujo has 1 and a half years left on his contract. There hasn’t been any news of confirmation of his contract extension whatsoever. Araujo will enter the last year on his contract at the end of this season. This is the perfect time for other clubs to approach the defender and lure him away from Spain. However, the player’s stance still remains unclear whether he will want an extension or whether will he leave the club.
Araujo has become one of the most important players for Barcelona in recent years. He has been rock-solid defensively and is the first name in a centre-back pairing at Barcelona. Nevertheless, there has been a lot of noise around Araujo, suggesting a move away from Camp Nou. Manchester United and Arsenal remain the primary candidates from the Premier League to secure his signature. Arsenal are trying to sign the defender despite strengthening the defence not being their priority in the summer.
Arsenal currently are doing well defensively with three central defenders in their squad. However, they will need one more centre-back to compete in all competitions next season. Araujo has established himself as one of the best young centre-backs in the world. He could help the Gunners in the Premier League and win trophies next season.
Ronald Araujo’s true transfer value as Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool lodge contract ‘proposals’ 💰#AFC #MUFC #LFC https://t.co/W0ta04Utqv
— Arsenal FC News (@ArsenalFC_fl) March 16, 2022
How can the Uruguayan defender improve Arsenal?
Ronald Araujo has started a total of 24 matches and has come on from the bench 6 times for Barcelona (via whoscored). He plays an average of 68 minutes per game. He has become one of the first names on the team sheet after spending three years at the club. Araujo is strong physically and also has the pace to fall back.
He remains tight with the opponents in order to win the ball back as soon as he can. This helps Barcelona to continue with the attacking pressure. He is also a very dangerous threat on set-pieces and can score an occasional goal for his team. However, he still has to improve with creative passing from the back.
Araujo’s heatmap suggests that he is not shy to go forward till the halfway line. He likes to be tight to his opponents and tries to win the ball back actively. Even if he gets beaten, he has a good pace to cover the space behind and give the attacker a tough time. He reads the movements of his opponents really well which helps him to get in a better position and win most of his duels.
Araujo can also perform a tackle while running back at high speed which complements his ideology to play higher up the pitch. Moreover, he can also be a headache for the wide forwards as he is very good at winning the ball cleanly even in pressure situations. The Uruguayan is a really good physical player who wins almost every duel and is also capable of converting clearances into chances.
Why does it make perfect sense for Arsenal to go after Ronald Araujo?
Araujo’s defensive stats suggest how successful he can be at Arsenal. The Gunners are starting to look like a very tough-to-beat team. They are one of the form clubs in Europe right now and Ronald Araujo could help Arsenal in the Champions League next season. The Uruguayan will certainly allow some of the Arsenal players to rest.
While Araujo will improve the squad quality, it will also help other defenders to grow. Some players might take it as a challenge to improve themselves be in the starting lineup instead of Araujo which can lead to better performances. Moreover, if he joins, Arsenal will have depth in their squad allowing the players to be fresh in almost every match.
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In addition, Araujo is just a 23-year-old who plays like an experienced player. He will also be a signing for the future as he still has a long way to go. However, it seems highly unlikely that Barcelona will sell the player. Even if they do, they might demand a high transfer fee for a player of such importance. Whereas waiting till his contract expires can even hurt Arsenal.
