Rangers icon says Luis Palma is downgrade on Jota

Barry Ferguson has said that Celtic are currently suffering from the lack of a game changer after Jota departed the club. The Portuguese winger was a surprising departure in the summer after swapping Paradise for Saudi Arabia.

The winger left in a deal worth £25m but has found himself on the periphery of the Al Ittihad squad. Meanwhile, Ferguson, speaking to Go Radio Football Show, believes that his replacement Luis Palma is a downgrade.

“A player who is a huge miss is Jota. He is a game changer. That final third he wins games of football and Palma is a downgrade, there is no doubt about that. He is not as good as Jota. Jota in my eyes was a top quality performer who would do it on any occasion.”

In 83 appearances for Celtic, Jota has scored 28 goals and assisted 26 times. The Celtic supporters adore the Portuguese star and if there was a chance at a return then we’d happily welcome this. Jota attempted to return to Europe this year with a move to West Ham but tax implications scuppered the deal for the player.

Since arriving in the summer from Greek side Aris, Palma has made 25 appearances, scoring 8 goals and assisting 9 times. It’s not a bad return from Palma but he is more of a project than his predecessor.