Joe Aribo, the former Rangers midfielder who scored in the 2022 Europa League Final, is a free agent and training in Dubai, and Derek McInnes may be tempted to call him after admitting his side lack experience in the final third.
Aribo, 30, left Championship side Southampton in the summer and has been keeping fit in Dubai while looking for a new club. His last game was on March 21 this year.
A Hero's Moment in Seville
Aribo's defining moment for Rangers came on May 18, 2022, at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Seville. With 56 minutes gone in the Europa League Final against Eintracht Frankfurt, he ran through on goal and coolly slotted a left-foot finish past Kevin Trapp to give his side the lead.
It was an iconic moment in Rangers' history, giving the club a lead for 12 minutes before the final went to a penalty shoot-out, which Rangers lost. Aribo was not available to take a penalty having come off in extra-time.
McInnes' Search for Savvy
After Rangers' Premier Sports Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen at Hampden, secured by Ryan Naderi's late winner, McInnes acknowledged something was missing from his team's play. The average age of his starting 11 at the weekend was 23 and a half, with front players Badredine Bouanani, Minsu Kim, Kevin Kelsy and Naderi aged 21, 20, 22 and 23 respectively.
McInnes said: "If we just take a bit more care, show more nous and experience in the final bit - someone will come up with something. But we're a bit snatchy and I've said this for a while. Sometimes we maybe need an old head to bring a bit of savvy to proceedings."
A Possible Return to Ibrox
Aribo was on around £70,000 a week at Southampton, who he joined for a fee of up to £10 million in 2022, meaning a return to Scotland would require a massive wage cut. He is a Rangers title winner from Steven Gerrard's class of 2021 and played in the Premier League and for his country.
During his three years at Ibrox, Aribo showed composure and balance, rarely getting fazed regardless of the opponent or occasion. Whether McInnes will make the call remains to be seen, but if his team is missing the experience he describes, Aribo - even on a short-term basis - might just be able to provide it.
