Joe Aribo, a Nigerian international who signed a four-year contract to join Southampton from Rangers, has been talking about his hopes and expectations.
The 25-year-old Nigerian international joins for a reported £6 million transfer fee, which could increase to £10 million with add-ons.
Aribo moved from Charlton in 2019, spent three seasons at Ibrox, and helped Rangers win the Scottish Premiership in 2021 by scoring in the losing effort in the Europa League final.
The adaptable midfielder hopes that after signing a contract, he will eventually be able to fulfill his European dream with the Saints once more.
Aribo participated in all 17 of Rangers’ Europa League games in the previous campaign, from the qualification round to the Seville championship game, where he scored the game’s first goal against Eintracht Frankfurt but the German team ultimately won on penalties.
The 25-year-old, who has also won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup trophies, wants to be vying for prizes on the south coast once more.
“I’d say definitely pushing for Europe, that’s a big one,” he said of his Saints ambitions.
“We want to do well as a club together, going on cup runs, pushing for semi-finals and finals, and having prizes to play for.
“It was a really nice feeling being out there, and the feeling of scoring in the final, but for me it’s all about pushing as far as we can go – pushing together as a team and getting the best that we can get together.
“It’s a good club, a good place to be, a family club. It’s exciting times here, I wanted to jump on board and get involved in it. I’m really excited to be involved in the journey and what’s to come for the club.”
Known for his versatility, Aribo revealed exactly where he sees himself slotting into Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side.
“He asked me where I prefer to play most. I told him just behind the striker in a right-forward position,” he added.
“He said it’s really good that I said that to him and not another position, so we’ve had a lot of chats about it. It’s a nice feeling to know that the manager has high hopes for you.”
