There has been a bit of talk about a former Rangers star who is currently a free agent. Ibrox Noise put it to our readers as to whether Rangers fans wanted Joe Aribo back at Ibrox as a free signing, having been recently released by Southampton.
A Move That Never Worked Out
In reality, Joe Aribo left Rangers apparently destined to be a big hit in the Premier League in England. Southampton was ready for him and he was going to be a big star in England to make the big step up from Rangers. Of course, it did not even come close to working out like that. The only appearances Joe Aribo made in the Premier League were under Russell Martin, which says everything. He even struggled to shine in the Championship at St Mary’s. At the end of the day, unfortunately, Aribo, a lovely guy who we can speak no higher of than we can, just did not manage to do it in England. It did not go well for him and he is now a free agent.
The Positives And Negatives
But Rangers fans are heavily in favour of him returning to Ibrox. He has absolutely got talent. He is a natural goalscorer and he is a good playmaker. What he is not is consistent and he also lacks impact at times. He does not tend to put the foot on the ball and truly playmake. He does not dominate matches. And alas for him, his last four years of his career since he left Ibrox have been somewhat in the doldrums. He managed one loan away to Championship Leicester but that didn’t work out either. Joe Aribo rather rotted away at St Mary’s and he just did not have a thriving period of his career. It was a four-year waste of time for him, unfortunately.
Would Rangers Want Him Back?
Would Rangers want him back on that basis? Obviously, the last time he was at Ibrox was for Sevilla during that run, and then he left that summer to join Southampton for the revolution down south that he thought he would have. Sadly for him, it did not work out that way, and we did absolutely wish him our best. Unfortunately, Rangers did not really benefit from that any more than he did from the departure. He did want to leave Rangers. He did want to try his luck with a bigger league, and that is understandable. We are not going to hold a grudge about that. He is a decent guy and a truly good sort. Aribo did a little favour in the past for Ibrox Noise as well. He is a good soul and deserves the best in life.
What Would McInnes Think?
But would Rangers fans want him back? Well, as we said, a straw poll earlier on our social platforms indicated that yes, Rangers fans were in favour of Joe Aribo returning to Rangers as a free agent. The question is, would Derek McInnes want Joe Aribo? Rangers do have a big overhaul to do this summer. We need quality players in and some good choices. We trust Derek McInnes entirely on this one, and we will kowtow to his judgment. He is a decent Rangers man who knows what is best for the club, just like Walter Smith did all those years ago. But the question is, would he think that Joe Aribo is one of those things? Time will tell who starts to arrive under Derek McInnes, but we cannot help but think that Lawrence Shankland was already his first signing in the first place.