Why Celtic didn’t sign Jota for £200,000 fee revealed

Jota has been an absolute revelation for Celtic since joining the club in the summer on a season-long loan. When the Portuguese winger first arrived, there were doubts about whether he could get it done at Parkhead. While he had had a brilliant youth career, his senior career till that point was not much to write home about. It is safe to say that the 22-year-old has delivered and then some over the past few months.

According to stats from Transfermarkt, Jota has scored 6 goals and provided 7 assists in 15 appearances for Celtic till now. Those are brilliant numbers and he seems to be getting better every week.

One has to remember that this is the first time that he is playing regular football for a club at the senior level. And it is safe to say that he is thriving.

Celtic appear to have had the chance to sign him as a teenager though, for a fee believed to be around £200,000 but did not end up making a move. Now, there are calls to take up his £6.5 million option to buy. As reported by the Daily Mail, former club scout David Moss said:

‘Helena Costa was a scout at Celtic for a long time and very good at her job.

‘She coached Jota at the Benfica academy from when he was eight or nine years old and she recommended him to Celtic when he was around 16.

‘I was scouting for the Celtic academy when she said to me: “David, you need to try and sign this winger before he signs a contract with Benfica”.

‘I went over there a few times to watch him and met him and his parents.

‘For whatever reason, I just don’t think Celtic were in a position back then to go and spend £200k or whatever the fee would have been to take on a teenage player with no first-team experience.’

Celtic had the chance to sign Jota as a teenager but did not

Who knows how things would have gone if Celtic had made the move back then. But the only thing that we can do is live in the present. And right now, it is important that Celtic get a permanent move for Jota over the line.

While the transfer fee, which is believed to be around £6.5 million, would immediately make him one of the most expensive signings in the history of the club, it is a no-brainer considering his recent performances.

Rumours have suggested that the club are ready to move forward as well. But it might ultimately come down to Jota and what he wants to do in the future.

This article was originally posted here

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