Joe Aribo left Rangers during the summer of 2022 in order to fulfil his dream of establishing himself as a ‘very good’ player in the English Premier League.
Three years and two stabs at the top-flight later, the former Rangers favourite is further away than ever from achieving his ambitions.
Joe Aribo was part of the Southampton side who finished rock bottom during the 2022/23 campaign. If he felt the only way was up after Russell Martin guided The Saints back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, well, the £10 million Nigeria international could be forgiven for assuming that things surely couldn’t go even worse for Southampton in their latest attempt to re-establish themselves amongst the elite.
‘Embarrassing’ was how Joe Aribo would describe Southampton’s plight a few weeks back. If a dismal tally of six wins and 25 points from the 2023/24 season was bad enough, then two wins and 10 points from the first 31 games of the current campaign is, well, a return of historically catastrophic proportions.
Southampton became the first team in Premier League history to be relegated with seven games to spare when losing 3-1 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Head coach Ivan Juric – a win rate of just 12 per cent – shuffled quietly out of the door shortly after full-time. One suspects his won’t be the last head to roll on the South Coast.
Graeme Souness wanted Rangers to hire Southampton target Frank Lampard
According to talkSPORT, Southampton’s pursuit of a manager could see them prioritise a tactician with a proven track record in England’s second tier. Rangers have been linked with ex-Huddersfield coach David Wagner. Now, he is reportedly on The Saints’ radar.
Ditto Frank Lampard. The Chelsea legend who was considered to take over at Ibrox following the sacking of Mick Beale in 2023.
Rangers icon Graeme Souness famously talked up Frank Lampard’s prospects when advising the board at the time.
Not only did Souness feel that Lampard’s reputation had been harshly stained by spells in charge of Chelsea and Everton, he also claimed that the former England international ‘fancied the Rangers job’.
Philippe Clement got the gig instead, of course. Sacked 16 months later, perhaps Souness was right all along.
Because while Clement failed to close the gap to Celtic, Lampard’s triumphant return to management has seen him turn Coventry City from relegation candidates to play-off challengers in the blinking of an eye.
Lampard lined up by Premier League flops after Coventry City success
Despite losing their last two Championship encounters – and there is no shame to being defeated by either Burnley or Sheffield United – the Sky Blues can leapfrog Middlesbrough into sixth by beating Portsmouth on Wednesday night.
Lampard’s excellent work in the Coventry dugout has not gone unnoticed.
From being overlooked for the Rangers job in 2023, he could find himself tasked with guiding Southampton – and Joe Aribo, for that matter – back to the Premier League.
Though arguably the real test, following two of the meekest relegations in recent memory, is to keep them there.
