Southampton's increased preparations for landing Steven Gerrard's signature can see Joe Aribo making his mind to stay with the Saints.
Joe Aribo is indeed one Southampton starter who is cut from a different attitude cloth than the rest. While the squad's other high performers hesitate from listing scathing reviews of their struggling teammates, those lousy work-ethics have not been spared from Aribo's competitive nature.
On his part, Aribo has even travelled the extra mile to restore Southampton's dignity meaning he will never run into a problem of having no suitors to back his talent.
This is where the issues start to begin for Southampton. Now, a midfield stalwart of his stature hardly wishes to stay put with a second-division status.
I know Aribo has bravely aced this scenario before but it'll take a mammoth contract from the Saints to ensure he does that for multiple years. Hence, the writing on the wall suggests that Aribo will be tempted to seek a new challenge rather than continue at St. Mary's.
Aribo will cherish a Steven Gerrard reunion
Yet, transfer markets are more about momentum than speculations and Southampton's recent actions vocally confirm their desire to keep Aribo on their books.
According to a report from EFL Analysis, Southampton are deeply invested into the prospect of instating Steven Gerrard at their managerial helm.
At this point, many Southampton fans will start connecting the dots regarding Aribo's willingness to be reunited with Gerrard. The 28-year-old versatile anchor has played key roles under Gerrard at Rangers and their chemistry can work wonders for Southampton even if the duo combines only for a single season.
The sudden fall from the Premier League has been painful and thus, knocking the top-flight doors with a statement display will be one of the club's essential objectives. One, that will be simplified by having non-negotiable squad pieces like Aribo on the roster.