The winds of change are blowing in Greater Manchester, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS cohort essaying to build Manchester United back up to its past position as a footballing superpower.
Ratcliffe only purchased his 27.7% stake in the Old Trafford side back in February, but already there have been promising signs of growth, with a concerted approach to rebuilding the infrastructure and an almighty effort against neighbours Manchester City in the FA Cup final, winning 2-1.
Still, there's an awful lot to do, but after being knocked off-kilter by incessant injury troubles last term, Erik ten Hag and the Red Devils transfer team appear to be emphasising the backline, arguably the crux of the landslide in form and performance levels.
Man Utd transfer news
As per reports from Spain, Man United are willing to pay the asking price of Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, with Manchester City and Newcastle United also keen.
Araujo has been a standout figure in Xavi's Barca side over the past few years but could be on the move, entering the penultimate year of his contract.
The Uruguay international has been coy about his future, but La Blaugrana are believed to have marked their titan with a €90m (£76m) price tag.
What Ronald Araujo would bring to Man Utd
Araujo, who is 25 years old, is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in Spanish football but given Barcelona's financial worries, his sale could mitigate their burden nicely.
United have one of the Premier League's finest centre-backs in their fold: Lisandro Martinez. However, the Argentine spent large portions of the 2023/24 campaign sidelined with injuries. When Harry Maguire was felled by setbacks too, Old Trafford's efforts devolved into a shapeless struggle.
Described as an "athletic monster" and a "cheat code" by analyst Raj Chohan, Araujo has the perfect style of play for Ten Hag's system, which struggled to get going last year (a by-product of year's bruising blows) but at its best can be characterised by progressive movements and high energy.
As per Sofascore, the £114k-per-week colossus kept seven clean sheets across 25 La Liga appearances last season, completing 90% of his passes, averaging 2.5 clearances and 4.1 ball recoveries per game while winning 65% of his contested duels.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
Typically playing on the right, he could be the perfect partner for a talent such as Martinez – who is left-footed – and he might even prove to be the best of a host of talented transfer targets being coveted by the Theatre of Dreams side right now.
Why Araujo is better than Jarrad Branthwaite
So far, Man United have lodged two official bids for the signing of Everton centre-half Jarrad Branthwaite this summer, making an offer totalling £50m at the start of the week.
Rejected. Everton value the England international at a far higher price and view him in the same bracket as some of Europe's most costly defensive signings – including the £75m transfer of Harry Maguire from Leicester City to Manchester United.
Hailed as a "physical beast" by analyst Ben Mattinson, Branthwaite's something of a unique athletic specimen himself, but for all his defensive formidability, the 22-year-old might not be the right fit for the Red Devils, not when he's competing for a place with Araujo – and for the same price.
Pass completion
79.8%
88.8%
Goals
0.09
0.05
Assists
0.00
0.09
Passes attempted
40.00
73.96
Shot-creating actions
0.72
0.99
Progressive passes
2.14
4.55
Progressive carries
0.06
1.08
Successful take-ons
0.14
0.36
Ball recoveries
5.23
4.60
Tackles
1.91
1.22
Aerial duels won
2.72
2.70
Araujo is patently more accomplished as a ball-playing central defender, although it is worth noting that Sean Dyche's Everton system precludes a player such as Branthwaite from showcasing the full potential of such skills.
But nonetheless, elite passing play is woven into the very identity of Barcelona, and it's natural that Araujo should exhibit high aptitude across such metrics.
The Uruguayan is also just as dominant in the air as the 6 foot 5 Toffee, who, on the inverse of that stylistic point above, is unable to produce the kind of defensive numbers as his positional peer given the way Barca plays compared to Everton.
That's not to say that Branthwaite isn't proficient; far from it. The Evertonian is truly on the way to becoming one of the Premier League's best centre-backs, keeping 12 clean sheets across his 35 Premier League matches last term, commandingly winning 68% of his contested duels.
But he's left-footed, and so is the aforementioned Martinez. It doesn't make sense to shell out a potentially record fee for a player who might directly hinder the balance and equilibrium that Ten Hag is striving to cultivate.
Araujo would be a far better pick, perhaps even the very best of the bunch. Manchester United's intrigue in fortifying their rearguard does not stop there. Bayern Munich's Matthijs De Ligt has been locked in negotiations vis-a-vis transferring to Old Trafford, while Leny Yoro has been at the centre of an INEOS bid.
Yoro is widely regarded as a generational talent with the skills to cement a leading role at the summit of the defensive game in the future – talent scout Jacek Kulig has hailed him as "world-class material" – but he's still only 18 and, while precociously talented, might not bring the instantaneous quality of Araujo, the complete, polished package.
It's interesting to see such a clear effort toward bringing Man United up a gear. It's early days, but Ratcliffe and his fresh approach might just bring the glory days back to a proud football club, yearning for more.
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