Atlanta United’s newest DP Araujo expected to arrive next week

Luiz Araujo, Atlanta United’s newest Designated Player, is expected to join the MLS club early next week.

Atlanta United purchased Araujo from Lille, which he helped to win Ligue 1 last season for the first time in 10 years, for a reported fee of almost $12 million Thursday.

“He’s a really exciting attacker,” interim manager Rob Valentino said Friday. “He is an experienced player who has been at a really good club, and he’s winning, which is an important thing.”

Atlanta United will play at Columbus on Saturday and will attempt to snap its 12-game winless streak.

Araujo, a left-footed winger, has a history of helping clubs improve year-over-year.

At Lille, he appeared in 34 games his first year, scoring five goals with two assists as he helped the club stay in the France’s top flight.

The next season, 2018-19, he made 25 appearances and scored three goals as Lille finished second.

In 2019-20, Lille finished fourth, with Araujo making 21 appearances as well as six appearances in the UEFA Champions League.

Last season, Lille’s title-winning campaign, he appeared 28 times in helping the club finish with 83 points, which is the most ever for the club. He finished his Lille career with 18 goals and eight assists in 136 appearances.

“Luiz is a player with great drive, a winning mentality, and is coming to us from a top club in Europe that just won their league,” Vice President Carlos Bocanegra said in a statement from the club. “He has experience in big games, as well as UEFA Champions League and Europa League. We’re looking forward to him making an impact with the club.”

There will be pressure on Araujo, pressure that is not his doing.

Atlanta United has had a spotty recent history with its Designated Players. The first three signed by the club, Miguel Almiron, Josef Martinez and Hector Villalba, helped the club win the MLS Cup in 2018. Almiron was sold to Newcastle after that season, and Villalba was sold ahead of the 2020 season. The DPs who followed, midfielder Ezequiel Barco, signed ahead of 2018, midfielder Pity Martinez, signed ahead of 2019 and sold during 2020, and Alan Franco, signed before this season, haven’t been as productive.

That’s in part why the club failed to make the playoffs last season for the first time and why it has the fewest wins (2) of the league’s 27 teams this season. It trails Columbus for the seventh and final playoff spot in the East by nine points. The club has scored 18 goals in 17 games.

“Having a player like him will benefit us in the attack because we will be able to create those scoring chances that we need right now,” Barco said.

Araujo’s first chance to make an impact likely will come against LAFC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 15.

Valentino said he has yet to talk with the player but hopes to do as soon as he arrives to discuss where the player will be most comfortable. Araujo typically played on the right wing, where he could cut in on his left for Lille, but also spent spot minutes across the midfield.

“We have to see how he mixes in with the group, with what we have already and how we can fit the best pieces into the group,” Valentino said.

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