JOE Aribo believes he will prove Lee Bower wrong by becoming a success at Rangers after revealing his former manager at Charlton told him to his face that he’d made the wrong decision.
Bower has been vocal about the 22-year-old’s £300,000 move to Ibrox stating in private and public that his star man's career would not progress in Scottish football.
Charlton were desperate to keep Aribo but the player made his mind up to move north after meeting with Steven Gerrard, who happens was his boyhood hero. Only yesterday, Bower admitted that he couldn’t replace the midfielder with the money he has to spent
Aribo, however, is relaxed about his decision which he believes is the right one at this stage of his development.
“I haven’t looked into what he has said too much, in the end it was my decision,” he said when asked about Bower’s comments.
“I knew he would say what he did because he is an honest guy and he had already said it to me.
“But I don’t really look into what he says, I believe I made the right decision in coming here - he pretty much said don’t go there for the good of your career.
"I didn’t argue with him, I shrugged it off. As you can see, I felt this was the best move for my career, and after speaking to the gaffer here and seeing the size of the club, it was a no-brainer.
“I spoke to Lee in person to tell him what I had decided, and he didn’t really say much at the time. I could tell he was upset,but I think that was more because I was leaving Charlton more than I was coming here.
“He cares about me, he didn’t want to lose me, we got on well, we had a very good relationship. So, it was hard to let him know because I knew he’d be gutted. But I felt it was better to do it in person than tell him over the phone.
“I believe I will change his mind, that’s what I am here to do, my job.”
Aribo showed up well in the friendly against Oxford United and also against St Joseph's in the Europa League when he got half an hour of the second half.
Gerrard expects a lot from the player who, according to Bower, is going to be a star for Rangers.
When asked about him signing a midfielder, the Charlton manager said: "It’s vital. But to replace Joe, with the budget we have got, is impossible. That’s just a fact.
“We have got to try and get as close as we can to someone with Joe’s qualities and ability as we possibly can.
“We are constantly on the phone and going through videos. We are working like you couldn’t imagine – the only time we are not talking about it is when we are sleeping.
“Even on Wednesday I had a day off but all day I was on the phone going through players that we’ve got on our list. Can he replace him? Could he bring what he brought? It’s tough. I knew it was going to be tough."
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