After just a handful of matches at the club, Ronald Araujo has seemingly won over the hearts and minds of Liverpool fans, as he continues to impress in his loan spell from Barcelona
Liverpool fans have voted overwhelmingly in favor of signing Ronald Araujo permanently at the end of the season, after the loanee's impressive start to life at Anfield.
The Uruguayan was signed with little fanfare in the summer, as a loan from Barcelona was viewed more as a temporary measure to address a lack of depth than anything to be too excited about. Add to that the clear frustrations from his parent club's fans over his previous performances, and it made for a move that created little discussion.
Fast forward a few months, and Araujo has proven everyone wrong. Not only has the defender made the right-back position his own after a year of troubles in that role, but he has done so with the energy and verve supporters want to see on the pitch.
He celebrates every tackle, every block, and every interception like it's a goal. He defends like his life depends on keeping the ball out of the net. And he runs up and down the wing like a supercharged bunny. It's no wonder that fans have taken a liking to him, even if he can look far from neat and tidy in his actions at times.
The 27-year-old has only made 12 appearances, which include two goals and one assist, but that has already been enough for fans to speculate over a potential permanent deal.
Araujo has a $61.6 million clause in his loan that would allow for a permanent switch next summer, if Liverpool decides that it is a deal worth doing.
While it may be slightly too early to tell whether the Reds will make a firm decision immediately, the supporters have already reached a unanimous agreement on the defender's potential to stay.
Taking a poll on Liverpool.com, 96 percent of fans voted in favor of a stay, while only four percent believed that a permanent deal for the defender wasn't the right option to take.
Ronald Araujo continues to impress in his time at Liverpool(Image: (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images))
It's an almost unanimous agreement that supporters believe Araujo should be signed, perhaps best summing up the feeling among the wider fanbase on how the defender has started in his life on Merseyside.
The final decision, however, will be down to Liverpool. All the center-back can do between now and next summer is continue to show why a move to Anfield is the right decision, and if he continues his current form, then the decision is perhaps taken out of the hands of the recruitment team altogether.
Araujo himself has yet to discuss whether he wants to stay or not, after the positive start, admitting that it may be slightly early to be considering such a huge call.
“It’s far too early to talk about that," the Liverpool loanee recently told The Times. "I want to thank everyone for the affection they’ve shown me because it’s helped me enormously. But I also want to make one thing clear: whether I stay at Liverpool or not isn’t entirely up to me.”
With several months to go, Araujo will want to continue his good form and continue his recent career revival before the important long-term conversations begin.
