Southampton star Joe Aribo has admitted his decision to leave Rangers this summer "hasn’t actually sunk in yet" after he completed a dream move to the English Premier League.
The Nigeria international was a hit for the the Ibrox side after joining in 2019 for a cross-border compensation fee of just £300,000 from Charlton Athletic. He won the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and helped the club reach the Europa League final last season when he scored against Eintracht Frankfurt before losing to the German side in a penalty shoot-out in Seville.
The 25-year-old was approaching the final year of his Ibrox, which contained a £10 million buy-out clause, when Southampton won the race for his signature amidst interest from Crystal Palace, Fulham and Nottingham Forest. Aribo has spoken in depth on his decision to leave Rangers, admitting it was his childhood aspiration to play in the English top flight during a heartfelt look back at his time in Govan.
Speaking in a video shared to his Instagram page, Aribo spoke first about scoring the opening goal in Seville. The playmaker said: "It was surreal
“I don’t think words can actually describe how I felt out there. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to celebrate. I lost like everything.
“I literally didn’t know what to do. I remember I saw my family who were right there. And even in that, just seeing them celebrating was an amazing feeling.
“Rangers are a real family. It holds a big place in my heart. The fans are amazing as are my team-mates and the staff.
“Leaving hasn’t actually sunk in yet. And that’s the thing with me. I don’t really let moments get to me too much.
“I do need to sit down and let this one sink in as it’s literally a dream come true (to move to the English Premier League). From a child I wanted this.”
Aribo also revisiting lifting the Scottish Premiership title under former boss Steven Gerrard. He felt like they would beat anyone during their run to the title.
He went on: “That season was just honestly crazy. We were just going into games feeling like we could overpower anyone. We could beat anyone. That was a really good season for us and it showed how good we can actually be when we put our mind to it."
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