Back in June, Lee Bowyer slammed Joe Aribo’s transfer to Rangers, claiming that the 23-year-old was making a mistake.
He had wanted the midfielder to either stay at Charlton or to move to a different English club for the purposes of furthering his development.
“It is about progression for him,” Bowyer told TalkSPORT. “So it’s a shame if he gets pushed to somewhere where it is not going to benefit him in his football career.”
“If he goes to Rangers that is not the right place for him to go for his football career.”
We called out those comments as ridiculous at the time.
Brentford was one of the potential destinations Bowyer claimed would have been more beneficial for Aribo.
How would playing in front of 12,000 at Griffin Park for a mid-table Championship side, be better than competing for titles and gaining European experience with Rangers?
It was laughable criticism that smacked of bitterness at losing a major asset for a minor fee, and it looks even more ridiculous now.
Aribo has done well for the Gers so far and helped them to the Europa League group stages, where he’s pitting himself against famous European sides like Feyenoord and Porto.
Club form has lead to recognition at international level, too. In the space of a few months since joining Rangers, he’s made his Nigeria debut against Ukraine and scored against a star-studded Brazil team.
His superbly taken goal against the Selecao saw him earn major praise from Gers fans who can’t believe the calibre of player they signed for a mere £300k fee [The Scotsman].
I’m sure as he ran over to the corner to celebrate with his Super Eagles teammates on Sunday, he was feeling pretty content with life post-Charlton and post-Bowyer.
