Arsenal Opinion: Gunners should try to beat Man City in the race to sign Joe Aribo
According to The Sun, Arsenal and Man City are set to go head to head in a transfer tug of war over out-of-contract Charlton Athletic midfielder Joe Aribo in the summer.
The Sun understands that Charlton are desperate to try and convince the 22-year-old to sign a new contract at The Valley, with reports claiming that manager Lee Bowyer is hopeful of retaining the services of his star midfielder.
Aribo has been one of the key driving forces behind Charlton’s march to the League One playoffs this season, contributing with 10 goals and 5 assists in all competitions for the Addicks.
Most recently, the 22-year-old put in a wonderful performance and scored in the 2-1 victory over Doncaster in the first leg of semi-finals in the League One playoffs to give Charlton the upper hand in the tie.
Aribo rose to prominence with Staines Town in the Isthmian League and won the club’s Academy Player of the Year award in 2014 before joining Charlton Athletic in September 2015. He struggled for regular minutes in his first couple of seasons at the club but has really come of age for the Addicks in the third-tier this time around.
The youngster’s scintillating run of form has put him on the radar of top Premier League club like Man City and Arsenal, who are keen to groom the youngster and get the best out of him. With the Premier League giants circling around like sharks, Charlton are going to find it increasingly difficult to keep hold of their prized asset even if they secure promotion to the Championship, particularly with his contract expiring in the summer.
Essentially a central midfielder by trade, Aribo is also capable of playing out wide on the flanks and has caught the eye with his raw pace, power, drive, determination and work-rate. He is a tremendous athlete who likes to drive at the opposition with his pace and power, and has a good eye for a pass too.
Aribo is not quite the finished article just yet but he has the attributes and the potential to develop into a Premier League quality player, as evident from his links with Arsenal and Man City. He has only risen to prominence this season in League One but the potential has been there for everybody to witness.
Aribo’s metahporic rise is a clear testament to the amount of work that Charlton have put in developing the youngster at the club. The likes of Ezri Konsa, now at Brentford in the Championship and Karlan Grant, who currently plies his trade with Huddersfield Town are amongst those to have successfully made the jump and Aribo might be the next in the queue.
To put things into perspective, Arsenal should look to beat Man City in the race to sign the talented midfielder on a free transfer this summer. Even if a move does materialize, Aribo wouldn’t be in contention for a first-team role and the Gunners are likely to draft him into their U-23 squad to further his development.
Academy stars like Joe Willock, Emile Smith-Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka have been given opportunities in the first team by Unai Emery and Aribo might get his chance too if he manages to impress for the youth and reserve sides.
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Traditionally, Arsenal have a good record when it comes to transforming youngsters into first-team players and Aribo is definitely a very talented youngster who can make the step up to the Premier League in due course of time. To conclude, Arsenal should sign him in a bid to increase competition in their young ranks and strengthen their reserves.
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