Ex-Celtic player to leave Saudi Arabia just one month after £25million transfer

21 August 2023 , 15:27

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Ex-Celtic player to leave Saudi Arabia just one month after £25million transfer

Former Celtic forward Jota is set to leave Saudi side Al-Ittihad - little more than a month after arriving in the Saudi Pro League.

In July the former Celtic man signed a lucrative deal to join Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante at the Middle Eastern club The 24-year-old commanded a club record £25million fee, having helped former boss Ange Postecoglou's side to back-to-back league titles and a domestic treble in his final season.

The Portuguese winger, formerly of Benfica, was one of the stars of the 2022/23 campaign in Scotland, scoring 15 times in all competitions.

But opting to leave, despite the considerably higher wages, has seemingly backfired as he is set to leave his new club already, having made only four appearance for the club.

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No specific reason has been given for the apparent imminent departure, but according to reports in Saudi Arabia he is set to be dumped - either on a permanent deal, if a deal can be found, or out on loan.

Al-Ittihad have taken six points from their first two games, with Jota appearing as a sub in both the 3-0 win over Al-Raed and 2-0 victory against Al-Ta'ee. And any departure is likely to trigger speculation over a return to Celtic, under new manager Brendan Rodgers.

The Bhoys suffered a shock League Cup defeat to Kilmarnock on Sunday, a result which exposed their lack of squad depth. And afterwards, Rogers conceded he needed more signings: "We want good players, whatever age they are," he said. "We need quality, that’s for sure. Hopefully between now and the end of the window we can improve the squad."

Despite making 73 international appearances at age-grade level, Jota has never been capped by the Portugal senior side. He was named in the provisional squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but didn't make the final 23.

Fraser Watson