Hibs Portuguese signing gives inside track on Jota’s future

New Hibs signing Jair Tavares has admitted Celtic’s on loan star – and former Benfica Academy teammate – Jota, helped persuade him to join up with the Edinburgh club this summer, by claiming Hibs were the best of the rest in the Scottish top flight.

And Tavares when asked if the Portuguese winger – who is now part of the summer transfer saga in Glasgow’s east end – would turn the temporary deal from Benfica into a permanent arrangement, the answer as reported by the Edinburgh Live was in the affirmative.

Photo: Hibernian FC

“Do I think he will stay at Celtic? I guess. I don’t know but I think yes.

“I asked him about Scottish football and about Hibs too. He gave me some good advice, told me some good things about Hibs.

“He said besides (the)Rangers and Celtic he thought Hibs was more or less the third strongest team in Scotland.

“He helped me so much to decide to come here. Of course he’s in a different town but he’s my friend. I’ve known him for a long time. Maybe since I was 10.

“But I hope this season when we play against him we win. Everyone knows he is a machine but we are here to stop him.”

Tavares came through the same Academy system with Benfica as Jota and despite all the talent the Portuguese giants have at their disposal it was Jota whom Tavares was most impressed by –

“Jota was a legend of Benfica in the academy. He was one of the guys like me, who didn’t have the chance to play at Benfica. We had to look to the future because of this.

“He did amazing last season and I’m here to support him too. There are two Portuguese players in Scotland now, we’re here to represent our country.

“He was always so good. You don’t know Jota! When he was young there was a big difference between him and the others.”

Whilst Jair Tavares has put pen to paper with Hibernian, Celtic have still to conclude a deal with Benfica to ensure Jota becomes our superstar from Portugal, and with the option to buy concluding at the end of this month as Jota’s loan deal runs out, it’s fair to say the ghosts of transfer windows past are haunting many within the Celtic support, as we wait for an announcement this deal will be concluded.

Perhaps if Jota is recommending Scotland as a suitable transfer destination for former teammates, we can take that as a positive when it comes to his penning a long-term deal with Celtic, just as his former Benfica teammate has done with Hibs – but perhaps that’s just clutching at straws…

Niall J

About Author

As a Bellshill Bhoy I was taken to my first Celtic game in the summer of 1987. It was Billy McNeill’s return to Celtic Park as manager and Celtic lost 5-1 to Arsenal . I thought I was a jinx, I think my Grandfather might have thought the same. It was the finest gift anyone ever gave me when he walked me through Parkhead's gates.

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