Liverpool Pre-Season: Araujo's Impact and Squad Updates
Liverpool’s pre-season sharpened into focus at the AXA Training Centre as Andoni Iraola put his players through a session that felt less like a warm-up and more like a countdown.
Two games left. Both against Como at Anfield on Sunday. Eleven days until St James’ Park and the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season. The window for fine-tuning is closing fast.
Araujo steps straight in
All eyes inevitably drifted to Ronald Araujo.
Liverpool’s new centre-back, fresh from Barcelona, cut an assured figure in the drills. He arrives on Merseyside with minutes already in his legs after taking part in Barça’s pre-season, and it shows. His movement was sharp, his timing clean, his communication constant.
The plan is clear enough: Araujo is expected to get his first taste of Liverpool action in one of those Como fixtures, almost certainly alongside Virgil van Dijk. If all goes to script, that partnership will then walk out together at Newcastle on opening day.
He is still learning the faces, the patterns, the nuances of Iraola’s demands. But this is not a project signing. Araujo is a ready-made defender, and Liverpool need him to settle quickly. Early signs suggest he will.
Jacquet edges closer, others wait
On the next pitch along, another defender’s presence mattered for different reasons.
Jeremy Jacquet, yet to feature in any pre-season match, joined the group on the grass and took part in the main session. For a player who has been stuck on the brink of a return, simply training at full tilt felt significant.
Iraola had hinted last weekend that the Frenchman could be involved against Como. That remains the obvious target. He was reportedly close to featuring during the US tour, and this latest step nudges him nearer to that first outing under the new head coach.
Not everyone is moving at the same pace. Giovanni Leoni and Stefan Bajcetic watched on from exercise bikes at the side, working separately as the rest of the squad went through tactical drills. Their comebacks are still some way off, with both expected to need a few more weeks before they can rejoin full training.
Jones back in the mix
Curtis Jones’ return added another positive note.
The midfielder, who sat out the Anfield defeat to AS Monaco with a minor issue, trained with the group and looked comfortable. That should put him in contention for minutes against Como, a useful boost as Iraola tries to lock in his midfield structure before the serious business starts.
Off the pitch, Jones remains a subplot in the market. Inter Milan retain an interest, but have yet to produce an offer Liverpool deem acceptable for the 25-year-old. His contract runs out next summer, and the clock is ticking loudly in the background.
Iraola has been clear: he wants Jones to stay. Whether the club, the player, and any suitors align on that stance before the deadline is another matter entirely.
Iraola’s tight window
Alexis Mac Allister’s return from his post-World Cup holiday means Iraola now has a near-complete group to work with, aside from the injured contingent. For a new manager, that is invaluable.
There is still business to do in the transfer market, and Liverpool are not alone there. Across the league, squads look unfinished. Even Manchester City have undergone a change in the dugout, adding another layer of uncertainty at the top.
For Iraola, the challenge is immediate and unforgiving. Full training weeks will be precious in August and early September. Once the first international break passes, the schedule will thicken, and two-game weeks will become the norm.
That is why sessions like this one at the AXA carry extra weight. New signings bedding in, injured players edging back, key figures like Jones and Mac Allister reintegrated. The foundations have to go down now.
Because in 11 days’ time, there will be no hiding place at St James’ Park.
