If you are on social media, you will be aware that Rangers is at the centre of yet another case of faux outrage, this time – a full day after it’s release – at the “Four Lads Had a Dream” song used in the promotional video for the 150th anniversary commemorative shirt that has just been issued.
Because of the distraction, you may have missed that one of our key players has, once again, been linked with a move away from Ibrox, a report in Football Insider claiming that Joe Aribo is the centre of attention from Crystal Palace, managed by France legend Patrick Vieira.
This isn’t the first time that Aribo – previously rated at £20million – has been on the radar of Premier League sides, when Steven Gerrard was the deciding factor in persuading him to head north, Lee Bowyer infamously claimed that he was making the wrong decision with offers from England’s top flight also on the table as his player left Charlton Athletic on a free transfer.
There was also talk this summer about a potential move, however, nothing concrete or any bids every materialised and he remained in Glasgow where he continues to be one of the first names on the team sheet, even if his performances this season haven’t been at there usual levels.
Due to injuries, suspensions and Covid-19 rated issues, Aribo has had to play pretty much every minute so far this season with Michael Beale revealing that our tactics have been subtly adjusted to prevent burnout, perhaps blunting the Nigerian international’s attacking instincts in the process – his performance against Hibs did suggest that he is back on the right track though.
Aribo is the prototype for our player trading model, find a player with potential who is available at a reduced fee, polish them up, then sell them at a significant profit further down the line, two of those three boxes have been ticked, how long we will have to wait to see the third ticked off remains to be seen.