Joe Aribo has ended his three-year stay at Rangers after completing a move to English Premier League side Southampton in a deal worth around £10 million and sees him sign a contract until 202? at the south coast club.
The Nigeria international joined the Ibrox side in 2019 for a cross-border compensation fee of just £300,000 from Charlton Athletic and won the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and helped the club reach the Europa League final last season when he scored against Eintracht Frankfurt before losing to the German side in a penalty shoot-out in Seville.
Aribo had just one year left on his contract, which had a £10 million buy-out clause, at Rangers and Southampton recently emerged as the frontrunners for his signature, with Crystal Palace, Fulham and Nottingham Forest also linked, and the English top flight side, managed by Ralph Hasenhuttl, have now recruited the 25-year-old ahead of next season.
The player told the Southampton website: "“It’s an amazing club with a lot of history here, and it’s a good plan with what’s to come next. I’m really excited for the journey.
“The Premier League is the best league in the world. I’ve been watching it since I was a young boy, it’s always been a goal for me to play here and show what I can do on this stage.
“It’s an amazing feeling, a dream come true. This is where I’ve wanted to be since I was a child growing up playing, so to say that I’m here now is really exciting.”
And Hasenhuttl said: ““Joe is a player with many qualities to his game, and we are very excited to welcome him to the squad in time for the pre-season trip to Austria.
“We believe Joe can bring energy and creativity to our side. Feeling comfortable in so many different positions is very helpful for a manager and shows he has a high level of football intelligence, with the ability to take on new information quickly.
“He has played a lot of games already in his career, at a very high level, and his performances in the Europa League prove he has the quality to play in the Premier League. This is a big ambition for him, and he is hungry to show everybody he can do it.”
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