One of the key transfers of our summer this year has been the sale of Jota to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League for a record-breaking £27 million. It was a mammoth offer for the 25-year-old’s services and left us with no choice but to say goodbye and good luck to him on his newest footballing venture.
The departure has left a more than considerable hole in the squad, but more importantly, the starting XI. Jota was the man we always turned to when the going got tough in matches and we couldn’t break down those stifling defences or our team wasn’t playing as fluently as a collective. In the cold light of day, he was our true talisman.
His departure has been the cause of much angst amongst the Celtic support as we have failed to adequately recruit a like for like replacement, which is the phrase that seems to be most fancied. With the addition of Yang Hyun-jun and Marco Tilio to the ranks, it’s obvious the club are planning for the future, but what about the here and now?
Why is it taking so long to replace the Portuguese winger?
Is it possible that Celtic gaining financially from Jota’s record-breaking transfer deal to the Middle East has in fact inflated prices for our recruitment team? It wouldn’t be out of the realms of possibility, that’s for sure, but has it really stunted us that much in our pursuit of quality options for the starting line-up?
An interesting supposition, but one that will nevertheless fall on deaf ears if we fail to tool up for another tilt at European football, and having already lost part of our Treble from last year, our fiercely loyal supporters can’t really be blamed in this scenario.
Paul Gillespie
Where’s the signings?
Of course it has inflated the prices,and the fact that there is much longer to go in the transfer window will as well.