There is hope that the January transfer window may provide an escape route for out-of-favour Southampton players Joe Aribo and Sam Edozie, and Sport Republic has been asked to sell.

In 2022, the duo reportedly cost Saints up to £10 million each, including add-ons, with Aribo joining from Glasgow giants Rangers and Edozie coming highly valued from Manchester City.

Aside from the comparatively high transfer fees, athletes are also expected to earn a lot of money. According to Capology estimations, midfielder Aribo earns £70k per week, while 22-year-old Edozie earns £15k per week.

Which is why FLW’s Saints Fan Pundit, Martin Sanders, want both exits to take place this transfer window rather than waiting until the summer.

Southampton FC is expected to sanction transfer exits for Joe Aribo and Sam Edozie

When asked if both of the aforementioned players could depart Hampshire by the end of the month, Sanders told FLW, “Hopefully they’re going to leave this month, both of them really – they’re not going to get any game time and it’ll free up some wages.”

To begin, Aribo reportedly stated his want to quit the club in August, but has since been almost completely frozen out by Tonda Eckert after that wish was not granted.

Sanders went on to remark, “Aribo is one of the top earners, so he needs to move on for his own best interests going ahead. So, perhaps, they can find a solution for both of those players.”

The Nigerian international’s last outing for Southampton was on December 9th against West Brom, when he played three minutes from the bench. So far in the Championship, he has made only seven appearances, totaling 111 minutes of game time.

As for Edozie, the winger hasn’t played a single game this season, owing primarily to a hamstring ailment, but Sanders doesn’t see him returning. The Fan Pundit stated, “Edozie hasn’t played enough football; getting him up to speed now will be extremely difficult.” Despite suffering an injury on his way back, he spent last season on loan.I believe he did well away; nonetheless, it has not worked out for either of them in the previous few years. The squad is still too large as it is. We have a lot of players on loan, and I don’t think it’s the best approach, especially when Aribo’s contract expires at the end of the season.

Why Southampton FC should ‘get rid’ of Joe Aribo and Sam Edozie.

Back in December, former professional footballer and pundit Marvin Bartley predicted Aribo’s return to Rangers on the Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, where the midfielder had arguably his best spell of his career.

The Daily Record then reported, despite rumours of interest from Turkey, that the Saints were willing to accept a sum of around £1.5 million for him – but no real proposals followed.

As Sanders noted, with six months left on Aribo’s contract, a permanent transfer now is the last option to recoup any price before he becomes available for free transfer in the summer.

Although Edozie’s current contract does not expire until 2027, comparable financial concerns about his future at the club are undoubtedly still valid. Last summer, both Belgian club Brugge and Ligue 1 club Strasbourg made unsuccessful bids to sign him permanently, as revealed by journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

Given that he has not featured at all this season due to injury, his transfer value is likely to plummet, as was the case with Aribo.

Sanders concluded, “Just find the best way to get them playing football somewhere and get rid, really.” From a fan’s perspective, neither player has a short or long-term future at St Marys if they wish to play games.