Joe Aribo Ready to March in with The Saints?

After three seasons at the Ibrox Stadium in which he made 148 career appearances for the club, registering 26 goals, 25 assists and helping the Rangers win the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup, Nigerian international Joe Aribo is set to depart the Scottish giants as English Premier League club, Southampton are ready to meet the Super Eagle’s £10 million release clause

Southampton are said to be  in talks with Rangers over a deal for Super Eagles midfielder, Joe Aribo, with the Saints confident of getting a deal over the line.

Aribo has a £10million release clause in his Rangers contract and The Athletic has reported that the 25-year-old Nigerian international is “keen” on a move to the Saints.

It has been suggested that Southampton are preparing a four-year deal for Aribo should he make the move south.

This will indeed be a huge loss for Rangers but one that was always expected from the Ibrox faithful.

The 25-year-old has been a great servant for the Gers in recent years and has developed immensely after his move from Charlton.

However, the Nigerian international is at an age where he needs to develop and test himself at the highest level possible before his career is over.

A move to Southampton will be an excellent one for his career with the prospect of testing himself in the Premier League too big to turn down.

For Rangers, it is a smart piece of business to cash in on Aribo as he enters the final year of his contract.

The Gers could ill-afford to lose their prized asset on a free next summer and to recoup £10million for Aribo is excellent business by the club hierarchy.

It’s a tough one to take for Gers fans, but ultimately this is the right move for all parties.

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst says Aribo’s “ambition is to play in the Premier League” and he is likely to move there “in the near future”.

“What he’s done for this club has been fantastic,” Van Bronckhorst said.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Ibrox manager added: “Joe is a very important player for us. His development has been really good.

“It’s what you want as a club, to get talented players, develop them into really good players and eventually, the player has their own ambitions.”

Italian transfer market specialist Fabrizio Romano has also confirmed that the transfer of the Nigeria international to the English Premier League club is imminent.

The former Charlton Athletic man is said to have already agreed to join Southampton and an official confirmation of the deal is expected in the coming days.

Barring any unforeseen development, the likes of Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Crystal Palace will miss out in the race for the signature of the 25-year-old as Aribo will be departing Rangers after making 148 career appearances for the club, registering 26 goals and 25 assists and helping the Glasgow giants win the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup in his three seasons at the Ibrox Stadium.

For someone who was seen as not being able to make it to the professional rank in football and as only good for ‘Sunday League Football’,  Aribo has not only proved critics wrong by going on to play for a top club but is now regarded as a perfect role model by the foundation that produced him

He was not seen as someone that could make a career out of football, but against all odds Joe Aribo who was once described as a ‘good Sunday League player’ has gone on to play for a top club and at international level;  today, he’s hailed for his discipline, focus  and charitable character.

Owner of the foundation that produced the Super Eagles midfielder has described him as a great personality who’s grounded and humble.

Harry Hudson said when Aribo joined the Kinetic Foundation as a young footballer, he was described as a ‘good Sunday league player’ but he has since turned the corner and emerged one of their biggest products.

Hudson said Aribo’s interests are clear and he’s not about the fast life, despite having enough to afford it. He said this has continuously made him a good example of the players coming through the ranks at the foundation.

In an interview with Football Scotland, Hudson said Aribo always comes through for the foundation when needed.

“Joe is a lovely young man. He’s so grounded and so humble. He’s a real credit to his family and such a lovely young man. When Kevin Ciubotaru signed for Rangers I asked Joe to go and say hello to him and make him feel welcome and Joe would come back to me straight away,” he said.

“If we have any events he’ll do it, he did an Instagram Live for us. He’s always helping us wherever he can. He always stays in contact and if I ever ask him for something it might not be immediate but he’ll always get back to me and we’re really grateful for him to support us whenever he can.

“The challenge we have in society is for most of the young people their role models are either footballers or rappers.

“They are the two things they’ll look up to. Some of the footballers are negative role models. Even if I look at someone like Karim Benzema and what he releases on social media. It’s a mini film of him driving mad cars with Balenciaga shoes and £200k watches and that’s what the young people believe is success.”

The 25-year-old has been a key figure for Rangers, contributing seven goals and five assists in 27 matches so far this season.

Aribo said: “For me personally, I have wanted more numbers in terms of goals and assists. I’ve not been at my best compared to how I was before January.

“But in football, you have these dips and forms and I will move past that by working my hardest every single day.”

The Super Eagles star was one of the best players in Scotland last season, especially after Giovanni Van Bronckhorst replaced Steven Gerrard at the helms of affairs of the club.

With Southampton knocking at the doors of the Ibrox Stadium, it remains to be seen if Aribo will march in with the Saints.