Liverpool’s imminent signing of Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo is the first in a long list of loanees who have genuine promise.

The Uruguayan has previously been deemed one of the world’s best, with incredible speed, strength, and aerial dominance that are perfectly suited to the Premier League.

Whilst he may not be at the same level he was two to three years ago, he still has the ability to be a top player the Reds can bring in.

It’s now been a long while since Liverpool had an exciting loan move, so here’s a look back at the top five temporary deals the club have made…

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Starting with the best of the lot is Javier Mascherano from the 06/07 season. Originally a loan move after the issues at West Ham, the Argentinian had impressed in a campaign that saw the Reds get to the Champions League final. Liverpool proceeded to sign him permanently for £18.7 million and had the Argentine on the books until 2010, when he was picked up by Barcelona. It is fair to say that Mascherano is probably the best loan signing in recent times at the club.

Another throwback loan move was Nicholas Anelka’s short-term loan spell to replace the iconic Robbie Fowler. The Frenchman left on a sour note from Arsenal to PSG, but after working with Gerard Houllier, the proposition made to join the Liverpool manager’s side was good enough to see him return. A brilliant footballer who technically was one of the league’s best, his 4 goals seemed enough to keep him permanently. But when the club chose to sign El Hadji Diouf over the loanee, eyebrows were raised. It even left Steven Gerard coming out and saying the club made a ‘mistake’ not signing Anelka. A decent loan that easily could’ve lasted longer; it left Liverpool fans thinking, “What if” the club signed him on as expected.

The final loan signing of the pre-Klopp era in this list is Victor Moses. The Nigerian struggled for game time at Chelsea after signing from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2012. Eventually, a loan spell to Anfield in 2013/14 got him some consistent game time before Conte converted him into a Premier League-winning full-back. He wouldn’t continue for the Reds after Raheem Sterling was brought in, but fans would look at his time at the club as successful. A decent loan spell but not as good as Mascherano.

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The final two loanees come from the Jurgen Klopp era, with the first of the two being Ozan Kabak.

A great servant at a time when Klopp’s backline was completely torn apart by injuries, the Turkish defender stepped up and gave absolutely everything for the badge.

Whilst he was never the quality to stay at Liverpool to play week in, week out at the top level, he was an immense help for the 20/21 season and can be looked back on fondly.

He eventually went on to play for Norwich in the 21/22 season before making a permanent move to Hoffenheim, where he still plays his football now.

The final loan signing, and most recent at the club, was Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo. The Brazilian played a grand total of 0 games for the Reds, and it felt as if we just wanted to fill out a spare space on the bench. A weird deal from both parties: Arthur never got back to the level he was at for Barcelona and is now out on loan at Gremio. Somehow, he is still on the books at Juventus. A strange signing all round.

Other memorable, or maybe not, Liverpool loan signings include the likes of Steven Caulker, Aly Cissokho, Paul Jones, Javier Manquillo, Daniele Padelli and Nuri Sahin.

Whilst Liverpool have made some smart loan moves, Araujo will hope he doesn’t replicate the move of the most recent Barcelona loanee. The defender is set to join for a season-long loan with an option to buy for £55 million.