Dan is here to wrap up the latest Liverpool news after The Reds returned to Anfield and Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo arrived on Merseyside to complete his medical.
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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…
Freddie Woodman Opens Up on Iraola, Anfield & the Merseyside Derby!
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.
RONALD ARAUJO Has a MAJOR Point to Prove at Liverpool!
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.
Dan spoke to ESPN commentator and La Liga expert Rob Palmer to get the lowdown on Ronald Araujo as he looks set to join Liverpool.
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Ste joins us from Anfield with his post-match reaction to Liverpool 2-3 AS Monaco in today’s pre-season friendly.
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Dan is joined by LFC Foundation CEO Matt Parish to discuss what’s coming up from the Liverpool charity, Kip On The Kop and more.
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Join Ste and Mizgan as they take a closer look at PSG winger Ibrahim Mbaye, a reported transfer target of Liverpool.
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Luke reacts to the news that Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign defender Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan from Barcelona!
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Ste is joined by Ian and Sam for the Liverpool Transfer Podcast to discuss all the latest on Liverpool links to Bradley Barcola, Ibrahim Mbaye and Djed Spence, as well as recent reports that the reds are interested in signing Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa.
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Dan is joined by reputable former L’Equipe journalist Erik Bielderman to get the lowdown on Liverpool’s pursuit of two PSG stars.
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Ste is here with all the latest Liverpool news. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Reds are leading the race for PSG winger Ibrahim Mbaye.
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Liverpool are seemingly pursuing not one but two PSG stars in order to bolster their attacking options for Andoni Iraola in the wake of Mohamed Salah’s premature departure.
Both France ace Bradley Barcola and teenage Senegalese sensation Ibrahim Mbaye have been strongly linked with a move to the Reds, and it appears as though both deals are distinct possibilities.
Dan spoke to Andres Onrubia Ramos to find out more about the duo linked with a move to Anfield.
“REALLY GOOD MOVE!” – PSG Expert On Liverpool Target Ibrahim Mbaye
On Ibrahim Mbaye: “In my opinion, Mbaye is a great player. He has a lot of potential. He is an agile, fast winger with a spectacular change of pace. I think his ceiling is very high, and he has already proven his worth in Paris and with Senegal, against whom he scored on his World Cup debut against France; the Premier League would be an ideal destination for him.
On Bradley Barcola: “Barcola is one of France’s wingers with the most potential. His change of pace is lethal when given space. When he calls for the ball in behind and has open ground to run into, he is unstoppable. The only thing he still needs to improve is his finishing. He is so good that he creates plenty of chances, but he struggles to score. If he improves that aspect, we are talking about a winger who will put up huge goalscoring numbers. In my opinion, paying 140 million for him is excessive. He is worth much less, although he would perform very well in the Premier League.”
Freddie Woodman Opens Up on Iraola, Anfield & the Merseyside Derby!
Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not Richard Hughes can indeed make both deals happen, there is clearly a desire to bring in more firepower and quickly to Merseyside.
As it stands, Alexander Isak is the biggest hope when it comes to coming close to replicating Salah in a red shirt, heights the Swedish frontman showed little signs of reaching last season due to injuries and fitness concerns.
Now it’s up to the powers that be to ensure Iraola is well equipped enough to attack all four competitions as at present it appears that the Basque boss is heading to a gunfight with little more than a water pistol.
