Steven Gerrard has outlined what he believes Joe Aribo will bring to the Rangers squad, as quoted by the Daily Record.
The 22-year-old midfielder underwent a Rangers medical on Monday.
It’s hoped that barring any complications he will become a Ger and head to Portugal for pre-season later this week.
Based on the manager’s summary, Bears should be buzzing about this latest potential addition.
“He’s signing for a top club,” said Gerrard, as quoted by the Daily Record. “It will be a big step up, but I think there’s a lot more to come from him.”
“We’re confident we can turn him into an even better player. He has a fantastic profile about him, people will see that for themselves. He’s mobile and dynamic. He can burst past a player, create and score goals.
“There’s still many areas of his game where he can develop but he’ll give us something we’ve not got in the midfield department. That’s the key. We have a good midfield, experience and young ones. But we don’t have this type of midfielder with the characteristics of Joe. I’m really looking forward to working with him.
“He’s a guy who can unlock defences. He’s left-footed, which is something we don’t have in midfield. So he’ll give us more balance. Joe’s tall, athletic and quick. He’s a box-to-box player and is not afraid to open the door when he gets around the box.”
Verdict
As would be expected, Gerrard has clearly done a lot of homework on Aribo.
Several months back, he talked about adding quality at the top end of the pitch [Evening Times] and in this instance, he seems confident he has done just that.
Last term, there were far too many draws. Teams like Hibs and Killie were able to sit in against the Gers and regularly walk away unscathed.
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A major contributing factor to that was a disconnect between the midfield and the front men.
Towards the end of the season, the adjustment to Scott Arfield’s role went a way to resolving that. Now, excitingly, it appears the club is on the verge of signing another player comfortable operating in that advanced area.
The ability to consistently unlock stubborn defences is crucial to a title challenge and encouragingly, Gerrard thinks he’s found the perfect man for that.