£75k-a-week Southampton man's 'time is up' amid Rangers FC transfer talk | OneFootball

FLW's Saints Fan Pundit thinks Joe Aribo should move on in January "without a shadow of a doubt"

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

There is belief that Joe Aribo’s "time is done" at Southampton amid talk the midfielder should return north of the border to Rangers.

This comes after former professional footballer Marvin Bartley tipped the Nigerian for a potential move back to Ibrox via Clyde 1 Superscoreboard on YouTube.

Aribo made the reverse switch three years ago in a deal reportedly worth £10m including add-ons. Across 149 appearances for the Glasgow giants in all competitions, he scored 26 goals.

This is a far cry from how his time in Hampshire has gone, which has led for calls to "move him on."

Joe Aribo's "time is done" at Southampton amid Rangers transfer talk

FLW's Saints Fan Pundit, Martin Sanders, has been clear in his assessment that Aribo should be sold during the January transfer window.

Speaking about the situation, Sanders stated, "Yeah, his time is done at Saints really. He was rumoured to go in the summer, didn't go and we ended up still with him."

The 29-year-old midfielder remains one of the highest earners at the club according to Capology estimates, which claim he collects a weekly wage of £70k-per-week. In comparison to his Gers' stats, Arbo has only scored nine goals across 111 Saints appearances.

For a Championship side probably attempting to balance their finances, such a figure is obviously a massive burden - particularly when the player in question is not a first-team regular.

Sanders continued by telling FLW, "I don’t think he [Aribo] expected to be here and Will Still froze him out for whatever reason. Maybe they had conversations about not wanting to be there because Will Still said he would only have people who wanted to be there.

In truth, Still did mention during the summer that he only wanted to keep players on who actively wanted to be at the club. Aribo wasn’t specifically outed, but the lack of any minutes before Tonda Eckert came in implies he was frozen out by Still like Sanders claims.

Joe Aribo claimed to look "really unfit" under Tonda Eckert at Southampton

As previously mentioned, it wasn't until interim boss Eckert took temporary charge that Aribo finally began to find his way back into the first-team fold. Even so, his reintegration into the team has been gradual, and his lack of action before that has left him looking short of match fitness, according to Sanders.

The Fan Pundit said, "He’s come back into the frame recently, but he’s looked really unfit, he’s someone to move on now. His contract is running out, he’s one of the highest earners and yeah, time's up."

As per FotMob Data, the most minutes of football Aribo has played since the 18th May against Everton - in the Premier League - is 28' versus Millwall in November. The Nigerian played 60' against the Toffees.

Clearly, from both a sporting and financial perspective, there appears to be a strong argument for Southampton to facilitate Aribo's exit in January. Firstly, for Aribo, a move away could reignite his career at a level where he has previously thrived - that is if Bartley's words turn out to be true.

As for Southampton, it would free up substantial wages and create space within the squad for players more willing and eager to compete for the club's colours on a regular basis - which is perhaps why Sanders concluded by saying, "It’s time to move him on without a shadow of a doubt."

Whether Saints find a buyer willing to meet their valuation, or whether Aribo himself opts to move on from the club, remains to be seen.