First Name: Ronald
Surname: Araujo
Squad Number: 33
Position: Defender
D.O.B.: 07.03.1999.
Town of Birth: Rivera
Country of Birth: Uruguay
Nationality: Uruguayan
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For shame , we never had a thread on him till now.
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Let @Nikola’s humiliation ritual begin.
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His cameos and first full game all went well. High hopes. Could end up being a reasonably priced quality option come the summer. Hopefully the loan continues to go well
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Also, making a good impression as a bloke too. Sweet of him to have done this, Isaac’ll have forgotten all about Mo 
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I think he brings us nice balance right now - a defender who actually enjoys the dirty act of having to defend. I know it is only Ipswich, but I liked how relatively secure we looked even on these sequences where we previously have looked a bit vulnerable to the counter.
His limitations with the ball have been well documented, but I think for right now its not a big hinderance. I think those issues are probably not as important when he’s FB as opposed to CB, he’s got the athleticism to get up and back and get himself into areas where you dont need great technical quality to contribute (I mean Gary Neville made a 10 year career out of it). And its not like the main alternative was firing in the attacking third either.
Looking at the way the team is shaping up I suspect we’re going to be able to get by without a great creativity from that area of the pitch and so the trade off of much more defensive strength is seemingly well worth it. He could end up being a sneaky key factor in the success of that transfer window.
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I wonder if he was playing so well only because I hadn’t made a thread for him. That would confirm me as the club’s jinx!
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Isn’t it nice when our players aren’t afraid to get stuck in (and actually win some challenges)? Jacquet might come across as rash at times, Araujo certainly will, too, but they seem to be relishing the fight against the opponent (Kerkez, for all of his attacking flaws, shares this trait with them, too).
Given how physical the league has become (I’m still under the impression of Brentford - Sunderland match) and how passive and weak we looked against sides that looked like they were going to war against us, this is a change I’d like to see. I also think we’re picking up more bookings than last season, though, but as long as they are not red cards, I can live with that.
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We will obviously play with asymmetrical shapes and now Iraola with a completed squad is trying to figure the best balanced teams for each game.
As things stand, I highly doubt we’ll be activating the buy option. I just want availability (need a bit of luck here), professionalism and him doing a solid job for the team where and when it’s needed. Don’t be overaggressive and stay clear of rash bookings and red cards.
That will be enough for me for a season.
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If Araujo and the rest of the defence can make life hard for opposition attackers to score their job is done.
Based on the Ipswich game alone a number of sides may have difficulty breaking through.
That would be nice to see!
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I didn’t realise there was one. What, how much is it?
E 55m
Pretty reasonable fee
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Yes interesting though I suspect the wage demands might be slightly high.
Anyway he’s starting to look sharper. I quite like what I’ve seen so far.
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I wonder if this guy will ever get considered for our DM role… 
We don’t play with a DM!
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There are very few things in life that surprise me. This would be one of the things that actually would.
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However, with the very much up in the air type of situation we might have at the centre back and right back position, I really wouldn’t mind if we use that buy option. I’m guessing we won’t, because of his age and the salary he’s been on, but I like him.
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It will be a welcome dilemma if he keeps performing at this level. Do we activate the buy option or opt for Quansah instead? Can VVD still perform at this level next season or will Araujo take over the mantle as senior?
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Have to also think about which sides. I don’t see Araujo as a LCB. Jacquet showed in his short senior career that he can cover across the back, he played all positions in a back 3. Competition is welcome, but if I had to place a bet now, I don’t think we will activate it. Jacquet seems to be a strong cadidate for that RCB spot for the upcoming future.
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Yup, was a period under Klopp were teams would have 1-2 shots against us.
Annoyingly they would score but still.
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