The positive updates on how Jota is adapting to life at Celtic and Scotland just keep coming.
Ever since breaking into the first-team and becoming a focal point of the team over the last couple of months, talk has been constant over where Jota sees his long-term future. This comes with Celtic having an option-to-buy clause in his contract reportedly worth over £6m [Sky Sports].
The player himself has been non-committal over where he sees himself. When asked in the past, the Portuguese loan starlet has simply stated how much he’s enjoying himself here [Daily Record].
And the positive updates just keep on coming on that front. Teammate David Turnbull has become the latest to talk up how much Jota is loving his loan spell. And as speculation continues to mount over his long-term future, it’s clear he’s thriving in the short-term:
As quoted by the Daily Record, Turnbull said: “We hope that he signs, but it’s up to them and the club to decide that. I’m sure the boys would be keen on him doing that anyway. He seems to be enjoying life in Glasgow, on the pitch you can see that. And away from the pitch he seems to be enjoying it as well, apart from the weather. He seems to be loving life.
“Jota’s been absolutely flying and we are pleased for him. From the first minute he’s been excellent both on and off the ball and he’s been doing what he needs to do.
“He’s chipping in for the team by scoring goals and that has been excellent. It’s great for him and it’s great for the side.”
All the right noises continuing to be made regarding Jota and Celtic
You can’t say that things don’t look positive regarding a potential permanent Celtic move for Jota. The player himself is certainly making the right noises and his team-mates clearly believe he’s enjoying it here too.
Of course, we know better than to be fooled by comments such as these. As promising as they are, it doesn’t tell us much. All it tells us is that he’s adapting well to his loan spell and enjoying that particular period in his career.
After all, does this mean Jota is hell-bent on staying at Celtic for the long-term? As an up-and-coming Portuguese talent, it’s more likely that he’ll have his eyes set on something greater. A move to a top 5 European league would be more than attractive to him if he was to be offered it.
Meanwhile, we don’t really know what his agent is telling him in his ear. He wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t sourcing offers from around Europe for his star-man given the season he’s having at Parkhead.
That Jota is also making his mark in Europe is a boost for the club but also a concern with regards to potential suitors. It’s not just Aberdeen and Hibernian the winger is performing against – it’s Real Betis and Bayer Leverkusen too.
So as we continue to navigate the season ahead of us, it’s important not to get too caught up with the lip service. For now, however, you can’t help but take some solace from it.
In other news, Pat Bonner believes he saw something very different from Celtic yesterday
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