Whilst it seems we’re getting a good deal for Jota (which would have been greater had the wild 30% sell-on with Benfica not been agreed), it still leaves one concerned with the fact that it did not beat our record transfer fee for an outgoing player from the club. That player, of course, being our academy graduate, Kieran Tierney, who joined Arsenal back in 2019 for £25 million also.
Kieran Tierney of Arsenal runs with the ball during the pre-season friendly match between 1. FC Nürnberg and Arsenal F.C. at Max-Morlock-Stadion on July 08, 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
It is disconcerting that Kieran was a left-back and although some might say things like “oh well, he did it more in Europe and stuff” it still worries me as a Celtic supporter that that may be the magical fee that teams think we will part with our best players’ for. A glass ceiling should not be placed upon the club, regardless of the fact we play in the Scottish Premiership and we should remind everyone of that.
Jota of Celtic evades Orestis Kiomourtzoglou and Jorge Grant of Hearts during the Heart of Midlothian v Celtic Scottish Cup match at Tynecastle Stadium on March 11, 2023. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
For a highly creative player in Jota to be leaving for the same fee as a defender isn’t a great look, I would argue. It’s clear that his footballing abilities and potential to enhance those talents greatly are the reason Celtic shelled out the £6.5 million to his boyhood heroes Benfica last summer, after his initial loan spell in which he was devastating at times.
Then this year; his magnificent technique to guide that stormer of a free-kick past the octopus-like Thibault Courtois in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League group stages was something else. You could see how raging the big Belgian goalkeeper was at getting beat by the Portuguese superstar on that particular evening, even though they were winning by some margin at the time.
Kyogo Furuhashi of Celtic applauds the fans during the Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Hampden Park on June 03, 2023. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
With this in mind, I think it is imperative that when the time comes, Kyogo Furuhashi is sold for more than £25 million. We need to smash this transfer record again to make progress, otherwise, we will stagnate and be renowned for taking a particular fee for our players’. I know some will argue the old point “there’s no point keeping unhappy players, if they want to go, good riddance”, but it should still always be on our terms. Always.
Time to up the ante next time, Bhoys!
Paul Gillespie
HUGE SAVINGS IN THE CELTIC STAR’S SUMMER SALE!
The Celtic Star’s Father’s Day Promotion has been so successful, with hundreds of books at great prices being posted to Celtic fans all over the world, that we’ve decided to continue with the sale until the end of July. We’ve reduced all six books currently available from their usual retail price of £20 and prices are as low as £6 (see below).
All books are high quality hardback, with some signed by the author. And it’s also worth noting that you only pay postage on one book, so it’s free for the second, third and so on. ORDER HERE or click on The Celtic Star image above…this is how it feels to be Celtic!