Aribo in as Ibrox trio are told to find new clubs
JOE ARIBO is set to check into Rangers — as Kyle Lafferty, Graham Dorrans and Jason Holt all took a step closer to the Ibrox exit door.
Sportsmail understands a deal to sign Charlton Athletic midfielder Aribo for £300,000 is done pending a medical to be carried out in the next 48 hours.
Once his four-year deal is officially completed, the
By Brian Marjoribanks IN PORTUGAL
22-year-old will jet out to the Algarve to join his new teammates on their pre-season training camp.
However, as the Rangers team touched down in Faro last night, there was no place on the plane for Lafferty, Dorrans or Holt. It’s believed the out-of-favour trio have joined Albania international attacker Eros Grezda in being told to stay at home and find new clubs.
The arrival of Aribo is a boost to Gerrard after Charlton boss Lee Bowyer made a last-ditch attempt to keep the midfielder, who made 39 appearances last season and scored 10 goals to help the London club earn promotion to the Championship as play-off final winners against Sunderland at Wembley.
The player was also attracting interest from Brighton, Bournemouth and a number of clubs in the English Championship but decided his future lay in Scotland.
Aribo is Steven Gerrard’s
seventh signing of the summer so far after the arrivals of Jordan Jones from Kilmarnock, Motherwell’s Jake Hastie, ex-Birmingham City frontman Greg Stewart, on-loan Liverpool kid Sheyi Ojo and Oldham Athletic defender George Edmundson. Veteran midfielder Steven Davis has also been secured on a permanent move following his spell on loan at Ibrox last season from Southampton. Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister, meanwhile, has backed ‘experienced’ new signing Ojo to handle the expectation levels that come with being a first-team player at Ibrox. The winger, who recently signed a new five-year deal at Liverpool, has moved north on a season-long loan from the European champions. Ojo has made a total of 13 appearances in Jurgen Klopp’s first team and has also had spells out on loan at Wigan, Wolves, Fulham and French side Reims under his belt.
And former Liverpool first-team coach McAllister insists the pressures of playing for a club the size of Rangers will not faze Ojo.
‘Sheyi has got a bit of experience now,’ he said. ‘He has been out on loan at some good clubs and he has played in some tough leagues as well.
‘We are bringing in a player with bags of experience, who has worked under the expectation levels at Liverpool.
‘Those expectation levels are very similar to those up here, so he won’t be caught out with the demands of the Rangers fans.’
McAllister believes Ojo will settle in quickly because he has previously worked with Gerrard and his Rangers backroom staff at Liverpool.
‘He knows the gaffer, (Ibrox coach) Michael Beale, (head of performance) Jordan Milson, (technical coach) Tommy Culshaw,’ added McAllister.
‘And we personally crossed paths in the first couple of weeks when I went back to Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers before Sheyi went out on loan.
‘He has got some familiar faces here as well and he knows a few of the players who have been at Rangers. ‘He has spoken to Ovie Ejaria and Ryan Kent and that’s why he signed.
‘I think Sheyi ticks a lot of boxes in modern-day football. He is technically outstanding. He is left-sided and he has got good power and pace as well.’