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According to Football League World, Aston Villa have joined the race for in-demand Charlton man Joe Aribo, with the midfielder’s contract set to expire this summer, meaning he could leave The Valley on a free despite an impressive campaign.
Villa scouts will be in attendance at Wembley Stadium this weekend, when the Addicks face Sunderland in the League One play-off final – a game which could see the SE7 outfit finally return to the Championship. Aribo’s teammate Darren Pratley has indicated that this is exactly where the dynamic number 7 belongs.
What’s the word?
Well, with the Villans also just one big step away from promotion, it’s no surprise that Dean Smith is looking to bring in some young, hungry faces in the coming months to either strengthen the squad for a Premier League campaign or a third crack at promotion from the Championship next term.
If Aribo was to make the switch to the Midlands, he could be making a two-league jump if Charlton are denied by the Black Cats on Sunday and the Villa Park outfit emerge victorious over Derby County.
Veteran Pratley seems to think that the 22-year-old would flourish at a higher level, as he heaped praise on some of his more youthful teammates after the victory over Doncaster:
“When you’re young you’re fearless, you don’t care. You see players like Joe (Aribo), (Josh) Cullen, even Dillon (Phillips), they’re fearless and they just want to play football. The players deserve to be playing at a higher level than League One so hopefully we can do it at Wembley.”
Take it back, Darren
The 34-year-old may yet regret his kind words if Villa do indeed snatch Aribo away from The Valley in the coming months, although it has to be said that he’s spot on.
Check out what happened when two of Charlton’s best players faced-off in a game of ‘Splat’ in the video below…
With 10 goals and five assists to his name this campaign, the London-born ace has established himself as a reliable, goal-scoring midfielder and has been a crucial part of Charlton’s thus-far successful season. Pratley and Co will be hoping that they can lift the trophy at Wembley Stadium and give Aribo what he deserves without having to see him head out the door.