Celtic made an inspired move in the summer by signing Jota on a season-long loan from Benfica. At that point of time, many were unsure about whether the Portuguese winger could get it done in the Hoops. After all, while he had been one of the most highly-rated talents in the world while coming through the youth ranks and was even linked with Real Madrid a few years back, he had failed to make his mark at the senior level.

Jota had not been able to establish himself in Benfica’s first-team and did not have a great time on loan at Real Valladolid either. His performances for Celtic have been incredible though.

According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has scored 8 goals and provided 7 assists in 18 appearances for the Hoops till now. And in recent times, he has been arguably the club’s standout performer.

Thus, there have been many calls from the fans for the deal to be made permanent. And as reported by Sky Sports, Celtic are expected to trigger Jota’s option-to-buy clause before the end of the season.

Celtic are expected to trigger Jota’s option-to-buy clause

The option-to-buy clause is believed to be a transfer fee around £6.5 million. If Celtic decide to trigger it, it would immediately make Jota one of the most expensive signings in the history of the club. But considering how well he has performed since moving to Parkhead, that almost seems like a no brainer at this point.

Celtic find themselves in a sticky situation right now though. Jota picked up an injury against Hearts recently. And thus, the Hoops could find it difficult to break down opposition defences in his absence.

The passed the first test without the Portuguese winger with flying colours, getting a 3-0 away win against Dundee United. But there is still a long way to go in the month of December and one can only hope that Jota returns to the pitch as soon as possible.