Kevin Thomson reckons Rangers already have a ready-made replacement at the club should Joe Aribo leave Ibrox this summer.
It's reported that the midfielder - who is in the final 12 months of his current deal - has rejected fresh terms with a number of English Premier League clubs interested in doing a deal for the Nigeria international. Southampton are one of those and they appear to be winning the race to sign the 25-year-old with the likes of Fulham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest all previously linked.
Steven Gerrard brought Aribo to Rangers back in 2019 for just £300,000 and he has been a star performer ever since. A departure from Ibrox would come as a huge blow to Giovanni van Bronckhorst as he bids to recapture the Premiership crown from Celtic this season and reach the Champions League group stages via the qualifying route this summer. But former Rangers and Hibs man Thomson reckons Alex Lowry is ready to step in and fill the void. The 37-year-old is a a huge fan of the youngster describing his football brain as 'exceptional' and says he has 'everything in his locker' to be a top player.
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Speaking to the Daily Record, he said: “If I was a young lad, like a [Alex] Lowry or whatever, and I was seeing guys like Aribo moving on then I would be working extra hard in pre-season to try to stop the manager bothering about spending big money on a replacement.
“There’s no doubt in mind that he has all the tools to nail down a regular first-team place. He has everything in his locker to be a top player. People talk about getting chances and opportunities to train with the first team but I think pre-season, in the modern day game, is a real chance to lay down that marker.
“It’s about putting yourself in front of the manager’s nose and showing him how you live your life, how you conduct yourself in the team hotel at dinner, lunch and breakfast. It’s a chance to cement your position in his thoughts and I’d be really surprised if Alex isn’t doing exactly that right now in Portugal.
“He’s a big talent. He’s probably got the most scope I’ve ever seen in a kid, brain-wise. His football brain is exceptional. He might not have Aribo’s physique but he can run when he wants to run and his game awareness and technical ability is top of the tree. His decision-making has also improved with maturity and when he’s had opportunities in the first team he’s taken them every single time.”
He continued: “Joe has been a brilliant player and a great servant to the club but he’s only got a year to go on his contract so there was always going to have to be a difficult decision to make. But when you consider they picked him up for three hundred grand a return of £10m has to go down as good business, even though I think he’s potentially worth a wee bit more on that in the open market.
“Look, it’s not going to be easy to replace a guy like that – I think he played more games last season than any other player in world football – so he’s obviously a very important player for the team. He’s also a great lad. I know him from my time working in there and he’s a really humble boy with a great attitude.
“The club has given him a great platform to show his talent and pound for pound he’s been a superb signing. But the club are getting good value for him with only one year left on his contract and, at a club like Rangers, you learn quickly that life goes on."
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