Soccer-Southampton sign Nigeria midfielder Aribo

Southampton have signed Nigeria midfielder Joe Aribo from Scottish side Rangers on a four-year contract, the Premier League club said on Saturday.

Southampton have signed Nigeria midfielder Joe Aribo from Scottish side Rangers on a four-year contract, the Premier League club said on Saturday. The London-born 25-year-old joined Rangers from Charlton Athletic in 2019 and scored 26 goals in nearly 150 appearances, helping them win their first Premiership crown in 10 years in 2020-21 and the Scottish Cup the following season.

No financial details were given but British media said the transfer fee was six million pounds ($7.22 million) and could rise to 10 million pounds with add-ons. The versatile Aribo, who can play across the midfield and also as a forward, has earned 20 caps with his national team after making his debut three years ago.

"Joe is a player with many qualities to his game, and we're very excited to welcome him to the squad in time for the pre-season trip to Austria," Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuettl said. "We believe Joe can bring energy and creativity to our side. Feeling comfortable in different positions is very helpful for a manager and shows he has a high level of football intelligence, with the ability to take on new information quickly."

Saints have also signed Mateusz Lis, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Romeo Lavia and Gavin Bazunu in the close season. Southampton finished 15th last season with 40 points from 38 matches. They visit Tottenham Hotspur on Aug. 6 for their first match of the new campaign.

($1 = 0.8315 pounds)

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