Julian Araujo – The Headline Maker from the Deadline Day

Julian Araujo was the focus of Catalan media on deadline day, as Barcelona began to express late interest in the Mexican fullback. However, despite reaching an agreement with the LA Galaxy, Barcelona was unable to complete the transfer as time ran out of their hands.

And this article includes everything you need to know about Julian Araujo – The Missed Winter Signing and The Potential Summer Signing.

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Julian Araujo – Player Profile

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Julian Vicente Araujo Ziga was born on August 13, 2001 in California, United States. He spent his youth career at Central Coast Condors, Santa Barbara Soccer Club, the Barça Residency Academy, and the LA Galaxy Academy. On October 4, 2018, he made his LA Galaxy II debut against Tacoma Defiance (Seattle Sounders FC 2) in a 2-2 draw. A year later, on March 1, 2019, Araujo, then 17, signed his first professional contract with LA Galaxy and has made 111 appearances for the MLS side so far.

Araujo began his national team career with the United States U16 team and progressed through the ranks and was a part of the USA U20 team that won the CONCACAF U20 Championship in 2018. He received his first call-up to the USMNT in 2020. He made his international debut in a friendly against El Salvador, assisting in a 6-0 victory. However, he chose to represent Mexico a year later and made his debut in a friendly against Chile. Araujo has made three appearances for the Mexican National Team by 2023.

Why Barcelona Couldn’t Sign Him?

Fabrizio Romano: It’s definitely over for Julián Araujo to Barcelona. Agreement collapsed due to documents signed 18 seconds after the Deadline on Tuesday.

The Deadline Day arrived after a season of rumors. As Bellerin’s transfer to Sporting was finalized in the last hours, the Barcelona board were keen to bring in a new signing to satisfy Xavi’s demands. Julian Araujo’s name was one of several that appeared out of nowhere in the final hours before the deadline.

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Araujo was the only linked player with whom Barcelona were able to reach an agreement. They agreed on a transfer fee of around €4 million and a contract that would last until 2026. However, as they finished signing the requisite documents, they were already a few seconds late from the transfer window deadline. Then, because it was a transfer between two different confederations, it was up to FIFA to decide whether or not the transfer was legitimate. A few days later, they stated that the transfer was void and that Araujo would remain with the LA Galaxy for the remainder of the season.

Tactical and Statistical Analysis

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Araujo is a proactive defender who often pinches up the right flank to make defensive plays and is quick to close down on players in general. Defending so aggressively involves some risk of being caught out of position, but because of Araujo’s pace and defensive awareness, that is extremely unlikely to happen. Araujo is also an exceptional 1v1 defender who hardly gets dribbled past. He is merely ordinary in size but is incredibly gritty, and his persistence enhances his ball-winning ability.

*The above table includes defensive stats of Julian Araujo over the last 365 days.

* + or – column interprets how above/below average Julian Araujo is, compared to the average mark of other fullbacks from men’s next eight during the last 365 days.

*men’s next eight includes – MLS (USA), Série A (Brazil), Eredivisie (Netherlands), Championship (England), Liga MX (Mexico), Primeira Liga (Portugal), Copa Libertadores (South America), UECL (Europe)

Araujo’s passing has been excellent, matching his impressive defensive abilities. He is heavily involved in the Galaxy’s build-up play. He gets a lot of touches for his side and plays a lot of passes for a fullback. He makes more progressive passes, passes to the final third, and passes to the penalty area than a typical fullback.

Araujo also has a lot to offer going forward. He is a gifted playmaker who excels at generating chances from the wing. Fullbacks are sometimes seen aimlessly lumping crosses into the box, but Araujo selects his spots a little better. He does an incredible job of looking for cutbacks and sending crosses from more dangerous areas. Having said that, he does have some flaws in his offensive game. His dribbling is average, and his first touch is occasionally weak.

Our Thoughts

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Despite the transfer collapse that happened in the winter, a summer move is still on the table as we are in desperate need of a right back. From what we have seen, he’s obviously far too good to play in MLS but that doesn’t mean that he’s good enough to be the first choice for a top club in Europe just yet.

This would be ideal if we are bringing him in as a backup for Kounde or Pavard (potential summer signing). As Araujo has time to enhance his quality, and Barcelona can get both Pavard (if signed as a free agent) and him for just under €4 million, the move is a win-win for both the player and the club.

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There were rumors that if Araujo arrived in the winter, Barcelona would register him as a B team player. If that is the case, it would be perfect from a financial standpoint. However, continuing to play for Barcelona Athletic in Spain’s third division will not do much to further his capabilities. The more he plays in the top flight, the better he will get.

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What do you think about Julian Araujo?

Will he be able to solve Barca’s Right Back crisis?

Comment your ideas down below 🙂