Barcelona finally have an option at right-back in Joao Cancelo that is neither perceived as an obvious drop in level, nor playing out of position. The club have openly admitted they want to keep Cancelo beyond the end of the season, but already they are looking at a long-term option for the position.
Julian Araujo arrived from Los Angeles Galaxy in February of 2023, and spent the first six months of his time at the club unable to play. He did spend preseason with the Blaugrana, but failed to convince Xavi Hernandez and his staff that he could be of use this season.
The Mexican international was promptly loaned out to Las Palmas, where under former Barca Atletic manager Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta he has excelled. Starting just over half of their games, Araujo has been far from perfect, but has held his own against the likes of Nico Williams this season. This season he has played 18 times, scoring twice, 11 of which were starts.
According to Mas Que Pelotas, Araujo will be given a chance to prove himself in the preseason again next summer, with the club keen to see him in action again. Showing that he can be at least a good La Liga right-back, the 22-year-old will seek to carve out a space for himself in the squad as competition for Cancelo, if they do sign the Manchester City defender permanently.
A large part of Barcelona’s issues this season have been related to depth. While there is no certainty that Araujo would have continued developing at Barcelona, next season it would be no surprise to see Xavi revert to his demand to have two options for every position, if it is financially viable. Injuries have hamstrung the Blaugrana seriously this season, and the inability to rotate has also been detrimental thus far.
