View: Aston Villa should reconsider big-game player Joe Aribo transfer stance
Steven Gerrard wants to continue making improvements to his Aston Villa squad but he has reportedly retracted his interest in one of his former players.
According to the Express and Star, the Villans have pulled out of the race to sign Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo as the Nigerian international is “not thought to be of interest” to Gerrard.
The Daily Mail had claimed on 14 May that the boss was keen to raid his former club north of the border to sign Aribo but he now looks likely to head elsewhere in the Premier League.
All Nigeria Soccer reports that Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Crystal Palace are the three top-flight English sides most keen on signing the 25-year-old but Aston Villa may want to re-enter that race when you consider his ability to perform in big games.
Rangers reached the Europa League final last season and Aribo, highlighted above, was asked to play out of position as a striker but he was still exceptional on the night, causing all kinds of problems for the Eintracht Frankfurt defenders.
Here, he looks to be tightly marked by the German backline but it only takes a quick shimmy to the right and he loses them with ease.
All of a sudden, the Nigerian is in acres of space on the edge of the area and he can then unleash a shot on his stronger left foot.
He didn’t quite hit the target on this occasion with the score0-0 in the first half but he wouldn’t have to wait long for his golden chance to present itself in Seville.
A slight error in the Frankfurt defence allowed Aribo to run onto a long ball but he was still a comfortable yard behind the back-tracking opponent in all-white when he got going.
The 25-year-old has such a turn of pace once he has got going though that he quickly burst past the defender, leaving him flat on his face, and bore down on goal.
He still had the composure to pick his spot precisely and give Gerrard’s former side the lead but they were unable to hang on and eventually lost on penalties.
In other Aston Villa news, the club have a plan for Keinan Davis during pre-season but his Villa Park future is still up in the air.