There is belief that the January transfer window could still provide an escape route for out-of-favour Southampton stars Joe Aribo and Sam Edozie, and Sport Republic have been urged to sell.
In 2022, the duo reportedly cost Saints up to £10m each – including add-ons – with Aribo signing from Glasgow giants Rangers whilst Edozie came highly regarded from Manchester City.
Aside from the relatively big transfer fees spent on them, they’re also estimated to be earning a lot as well. According to Capology estimates, midfielder Aribo is estimated to be commanding £70k-a-week and 22-year-old Edozie, albeit a lot smaller, £15k-a-week.
Which is perhaps why FLW’s Saints Fan Pundit, Martin Sanders, wants both exits to happen this transfer window rather than waiting for the summer.
Southampton FC tipped to sanction transfer exits for Joe Aribo and Sam Edozie
When asked if there’s a chance both aforementioned players leave Hampshire by the end of the month, Sanders told FLW, “Hopefully they’re going to go this month, both of them really – they’re not going to get any game time and it’ll free up some wages.”
Firstly, Aribo reportedly announced his desire to leave the club back in August but has found himself almost entirely frozen out under Tonda Eckert after said wish didn’t come true.
Sanders continued by saying, “Aribo is one of the higher earners, so he needs to move on for his best interests going forward. So, hopefully they can find a resolution for both of those players.”
The Nigerian international’s last appearance for Southampton came on 9th December against West Brom, when he managed just three minutes off the bench. Across the entire Championship campaign so far, he has accumulated a mere seven appearances, equating to 111 minutes of game time.
As for Edozie, yes the winger hasn’t played at all this season, which has largely been due to a hamstring injury, but Sanders doesn’t see a way back for him anyway. The Fan Pundit said, “Edozie’s just not played enough football, to get him up to speed now is going to be really difficult. He did suffer with a bit of an injury – he was on his way back – suffered an injury, but, he spent last season out on loan.
“I think he did well away, just not worked out for either of them the last couple of years. The squad’s still too big as it is. We’ve got a lot of players out on loan, I don’t even think loaning is the greatest idea, like Aribo’s contract’s out at the end of the season.”
Why Southampton FC need to ‘get rid’ of Joe Aribo and Sam Edozie
Back in December, former professional footballer and pundit Marvin Bartley backed Aribo for a potential return to Rangers on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, where the midfielder arguably enjoyed the best spell of his career.
The Daily Record then reported amid supposed interest from Turkey, that Saints were willing to accept a fee in the region of £1.5m for him – yet no concrete offers came from that speculation.
Like Sanders mentioned, with six months remaining on Aribo’s contract, a permanent transfer now is the last chance to salvage any sort of fee back before he becomes available on a free transfer in the summer.
Although Edozie’s current contract doesn’t run out till 2027, similar financial fears surely remain regarding his situation at the club. Last summer, both Belgian side Club Brugge and Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg made unsuccessful attempts to sign him permanently – which were first reported by journalist Sacha Tavolieri.
Given the fact that he’s not played at all this season through injury, his transfer value is probably going down a lot – in a similar situation to what happened with Aribo.
This led to Sanders concluding with, “Just find the best way to get them playing football somewhere and get rid really.” Clearly, from a fan perspective, neither player has a short or long-term future at St Marys if they want to actually play games.
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