Joe Aribo's future at Southampton could be up in the air as the former Rangers star's struggles continue amid mounting pressure on boss Nathan Jones.
The Nigerian was a top performer for the Ibrox side during his time in Glasgow, topped off by a mammoth 70-game season last year that saw club and country benefit from the attacker's dedication. Aribo wrote his name in to the annals of Rangers history with a goal in an ultimately heart-breaking Europa League final before a £10m move to the English Premier League followed.
Under former boss Ralph Hasenhüttl, Aribo was a regular feature on the South coast and even notched up a few goals and assists for the Saints. But the arrival of Nathan Jones and the resumption following the World Cup has brought just two starts for the 26-year-old despite the Welsh coach revealing his admiration of Aribo.
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Now, according to Talksport, Jones' position at St Mary's is under scrutiny with Saints chiefs reportedly 'considering' the coaches future. His side are bottom of the league and have lost eight of their last nine games since the former Luton coach took over.
And in the case of Aribo, Jones ruled out a transfer exit in the summer but now that path could re-open. Yet he did lump the attacker in the category of someone who has struggled to 'integrate' in to his team.
He told Hampshire Live last week: “I've tried to sign Joe at two places I was at. I tried to sign him at Luton when he was younger.
"I tried to sign him at Stoke City when I was there. I see a lot in Joe and I’ve known him for a long time from the Charlton academy. I know what he can do and there’s a lot of new players here this year that may take a little bit of time. We always knew this was going to be a really difficult season in terms of the integration.
"But if we can get through this season, then we know that we've got players that can really hit the ground running next year. That's the challenge this year."
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