In recent months I’ve wondered as to just how much talent Benfica must have in their dressing room that they could let a talent like Jota head out on loan with an option to buy attached.
However, it seems 72% of their support don’t believe the Portuguese club are dripping with such rich talent that they can afford to allow Jota to leave after all. I guess that leaves us to speculate just what the other 28% were drinking on Hogmanay to disagree with the majority. However, if any happen to be reading this can you drop the Editor a line and advise where I can pick up a bottle. Thanks.
— Euro Scout 🇦🇹⚽ (@EuroScoutt) January 3, 2022
That poll carried out by a Portuguese newspaper, and reported on just yesterday, certainly indicates the supporters of Benfica, well most of them, know a player when they see one. However, it seems those running the football side of Benfica’s organisation were not so savvy, when first punting the player to basket case Spanish side Valladolid for a failed relegation battle and subsequently to Scotland and to a club who at the time looked in a similar state of flux. But hey, we’re glad they did.
Now having watched their young winger in action and turning out impressive displays at home and in Europe – Oh that pass to Kyogo for the first goal against Ferencvaros, Marcante! – the fans are making their feelings clear, with eight goals scored and six more created, before picking up a hamstring injury against Hearts, Jota has done more than enough to convince Benfica fans they’d rather see one of their own performing at the Stadium of Light (the real one – sorry Sunderland fans) rather than at Paradise.
Yet as we pointed out yesterday, the decision for that now lies solely with the player himself. If Jota wishes to sign for Celtic, the fee has been agreed and Celtic shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with when it comes to personal terms.
After all, even the Board at Celtic realise when they have a goose that lays a golden egg, and with undoubted footballing talent as an immediate benefit to Ange Postecoglou’s rebuild, there is also the clear profit to be made on a player who further down the line could be worth a fortune should the bean counters decide to sell.
READ THIS…Jota visits Benfica: Nothing changes, it has always been the player’s decision
Jota has indeed looked happy being at Celtic and why wouldn’t he? He’s been embraced fully by the Celtic support, he’s playing under an astute manager and the style of play where attack is the best form of defence is not only the Celtic way, it fits perfectly with Jota’s own attacking flair.
Yet those waters have been muddied now with Benfica sacking their manager and Jota’s old mentor now in temporary charge, and as he’s now back at his parent club having his injury assessed by their medical team, there are always fears Jota may have his head turned.
And you know what, you can’t blame them if they recognise the error of their ways and want to bend young Jota’s ear. But it changes absolutely nothing, Jota has a decision to make and it is his decision alone, that has always been the case. He’ll balance up the change of heart from the support and he’ll examine if his career is best served at Celtic or taking his chances back amongst the undoubted talent that previously blocked his way at Benfica.
The newspaper @abolapt is the most reliable in Portugal. I really think Jota will go to Celtic, if he doesn't go it's because he wants to play for Benfica again
— Mercado da Águia 🦅 (@MercadoBenficaa) January 3, 2022
My own belief is that Jota genuinely enjoys playing for Celtic and if for any reason he chooses to head home it will have been a tough decision for the lad to make. There is also part of me that is glad Jota has headed home to Lisbon at this moment in time, after all there is nothing like a Scottish winter to alter a player’s thinking, and if some of that experience can be avoided, we might well still have a puncher’s chance of convincing our loan star that Glasgow could be home!
In the meantime, Jota will soon be back at Celtic and we’ll have plenty time to bend his ear as to the advantage being a Celtic player will offer to him, and we can also rest easy with the thought, once this league title is back where it belongs, and should we draw Benfica in the Champions League, they perhaps don’t have quite as much talent in their squad after all. Perhaps there will be more than one way for Jota to return home!
Niall J
