Joe Aribo: Super Eagles star’s future in the balance as tough Southampton spell ends

Super Eagles midfielder Joe Aribo will be a free agent this summer, as Southampton have firmly slammed the door shut on a potential contract extension, Afrik-Foot reports.

​Aribo’s career has experienced a significant decline since joining Southampton in 2022. At the time, he was one of the hottest stars in the Scottish Premiership and was linked to several mid-table clubs in the English Premier League.

​But the transfer has not panned out as he would have expected. He struggled to make an impact in his first three seasons due to the club’s unstable nature.

They have been alternating between the Premier League and the Championship, and amid all this, the club has gone through several managerial changes.

​Due to his lack of game time, Southampton loaned Aribo to Leicester City in the second half of the campaign, to help them in their push for safety.

​But he only featured in six games, as the club got relegated to League One. Consequently, they are unwilling to sign him permanently.

​What Next For Joe Aribo?

​With Joe Aribo’s contract set to expire in the summer, there doesn’t seem to be a way back for him at Southampton.

​According to Daily Record Sport, the Super Eagles star will become a free agent this summer. However, he doesn’t appear to have a move lined up afterwards.

​Aribo, who turns 30 in July, has been linked with some Turkish Super Lig clubs in the past, so it’s possible that he might play outside the UK for the first time in his career.

​Given his inability to pin down a shirt at Leicester City, it is difficult to see him getting a move to a Championship club.

​It remains to be seen where he will eventually move to.

​Aribo used to be a regular for Nigeria’s Super Eagles between 2019 and 2024, and he garnered 34 caps within that period. But he has not donned the green and white since February 2024.