Araujo Joins Reds as Pre-Season Intensifies

Defender Araujo barely had time to unpack. After sealing his loan move from FC Barcelona on Monday, he was straight onto the grass with his new teammates in the Reds’ midweek session, thrown into the tempo rather than eased into it.

Alexis Mac Allister, back in the building and into pre-season work earlier this week, also took a full part in training as Andoni Iraola sharpened his options. The midfield picture looked healthier, too: Jeremy Jacquet and Curtis Jones both returned to the group after missing last weekend’s clash with AS Monaco.

The session itself carried the feel of a squad shifting gears. Rapid-fire rondos, tight spaces, one-touch demands. Iraola pushed intensity, with players snapping into challenges and moving the ball at pace as they tune up for a friendly double-header against Como 1907.

With new faces bedding in and key men rejoining the fold, the rhythm is building. The real questions start when Como 1907 provide the first proper test of how quickly this group can click.