Former Celtic star, Jota, could see his move to Al Ittihad cut short this season as his new boss Nuno Espirito Santo confirms that a Saudi League rule is causing issues at his new club.
The Portuguese winger sealed a surprise big-money move to the Pro League this summer but speculation has been rife that he could be loaned out.
Espirito Santo has opened said that he us still looking to add to his squad but has revealed that he needs to address the issue
Santo said [Daily Record], “Since the transfer window is still open, we need some players in specific positions.
“We will work on bringing in more deals, but this is an internal matter and we won’t disclose who will come and who will leave. The league regulations stipulate the presence of only eight foreigners, and we will try to reduce the number until the end of the period.”
Why would Jota’s future be under threat?
As it stands, Al Ittihad have ten foreign players in their squad. N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Marcelo Grohe, Fabinho, Ahmed Hegazy, Tarek Hamed, Igor Coronado, Romarinho, Abderrazak Hamdallah and Jota are the foreign players in the squad.
It’s fair to assume that Kante, Benzema and Fabinho are all safe as they would be regarded as the club’s marquee signings this summer.
Egyptian international, Hegazy has been at the club for four seasons now and was part of their double winning side last season. As was goalkeeper, Grohe. But the likelihood of the Brazilian being moved on is small as Ittihad’s reserve keeper is out until January with a cruciate knee ligament injury.
Experienced Egyptian international, Tarek Hamed, could possibly move on. At 34 years old he awas also part of their double winning squad last season but his experience could prove vital in the defence of the league.
Brazilians, Romarinho and Coronado could make way but both players have an incredible goalscoring and assist records that would prove too difficult to replace for the Saudi club. Coronado has 13 goals and 28 assists in 60 appearances whereas Romarinho has hit 101 goals in 186 outings so far for the club. [Transfermarkt]
So that leaves Jota up against Morrocan international Hamdallah. The 32-year-old striker was pivotal in last season’s push for the title. He scored 21 goals in 25 appearances and is already off the mark this season.
However, Ittihad have paid a small fortune for Jota so surely that should offer him at least a hint of a guarantee at staying at the club?
Looking at the players mentioned, it could be a case of last in first out which could be harsh on the Portuguese winger. The only issue Jota will have now is that who would be prepared to take a punt on him, especially with the kind of salary he in on now.
So it seems that Jota’s Saudi dream could be about to turn into a bit of a nightmare.
In other news, Watch: ex-Celtic striker Moussa Dembele scores debut winner for Al-Ettifaq
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