Ahead of the new English Premier League (EPL) season, which kicks off next month, Southampton have completed the signing of Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo on a four-year contract.
The 25-year-old Nigeria international joins for a fee reported to be about £6m, rising to £10m with add-ons. Aribo spent three seasons at Ibrox after moving from Charlton in 2019, helping Rangers win the Scottish Premiership in 2021 and scoring in last season’s Europa League final defeat.
Expressing his happiness after the contract, he said, “It’s an amazing club with a lot of history here. 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,” Aribo said. Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said he was “very pleased” to add a player with “many qualities” to his squad.
He said, “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.”
Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst told Sky Sports on Thursday that Aribo was expected to depart Ibrox, paying tribute to a “very important player” who scored 26 goals in 148 appearances for the club. “What he’s done for this club has been fantastic,” Van Bronckhorst said.
Aribo, who had one year remaining on his Rangers contract, becomes Saints’ fifth summer signing after Mateusz Lis, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Romeo Lavia and Gavin Bazunu.
