Aribo holds great value at Rangers

Nigeria International Joe Aribo is into the final 18 months of his contract at Rangers, with the Nigerian yet to accede to a new deal. The Scottish giants may have to sell him in the summer. If the situation remains like this, Aribo would be free to talk to any club next January. Rangers, however, believe that he will renew with the club, BSNSPorts.com.ng reports. Van Bronckhorst was a worried man when rumours about Aribo’s potential move from Rangers refused to die. With the transfer window shut, the Dutchman is delighted to have one of his key players with him. Jo Aribo was a member of the Super Eagles squad at the Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon. Despite his fine performances for the Scottish giants, Aribo remains at the club as no bids came for him in January. The January transfer window closed on Monday with a late flurry of activities. Unusually Nigerian players were not among the transfer activities as few clubs showed interest in them. Asides from Simy Nwankwo, who made his way to Serie B, and Odion Ighalo, who moved from Al Shabab to Al-Hilal, no other Nigerian player changed clubs. Henry Onyekuru is attracting interest from Istanbul Baseksehir with one bid already rejected. The Turkish transfer window closes on February 6, leaving enough time for a deal to happen. One player whose status surprised many is Jo Aribo. The Rangers midfielder stayed put at the club, despite the many transfer rumours that swirled him. At the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, Jo Aribo was one of the bright lights of the Super Eagles that crashed out in the round-of-16 to Tunisia. The Rangers midfielder put in a decent shift that had heads turning. There was interest for him from several quarters, but it all ended with the player remaining in Glasgow for the foreseeable future. According to Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst, for all the excellent performances of Jo Aribo, no big club submitted a bid in the recently concluded transfer window. The rumour mill was agog about a potential move away from Glasgow Rangers, with a return to England on the cards. The former Charlton Athletic player received interest from Brentford, Watford and Crystal Palace. Steven Gerrard, the former manager of Glasgow Rangers, seemed interested in the Nigerian midfielder. The papers suggested a move to Aston Villa. Gerrard must have cooled his desire to have Aribo with him at Villa Park, despite the praise heaped on him.