Chris Sutton excited by the prospect of seeing Jota at Celtic

By John McGinley

September 4, 2021

Of all the late transfer deals Celtic completed in August, Chris Sutton sounds most excited by Jota.

The 22-year-old has joined the Bhoys on a season-long loan deal, with the option to buy. And hopes are high he can make an attacking impact.

Having come through the Benfica academy, it’s easy to think he’ll have the footballing education to be a hit at Celtic Park.

Sutton certainly reckons it’s in the post working under Ange Postecoglou.

Writing in his Daily Record column this weekend, he ran the rule over the late moves from Celtic: “I still have concerns about the physicality of this Celtic side and their lack of aerial power. Cameron Carter-Vickers isn’t necessarily going to solve that problem until Christopher Jullien comes back.

“Carter-Vickers may well be a good signing but set pieces are a huge part of the game and it’s an area of vulnerability for Celtic in recent seasons.

“Giorgos Giakoumakis is an interesting one. He set Holland alight last season despite his team going down. He’ll provide different options up top, to help out Kyogo, while Jota is a fascinating one.

“This is a lad who was tipped for great things at Benfica but seems to have lost his way a bit. If Postecoglou can get him playing like he’s done for others then it’s an exciting prospect.”

Jota, still just 22, does have a pretty inconsistent direct goal contribution at club level. But he’s never really had a home to settle down and play his football.

His best season came with Benfica B in 2018/19, where he scored eight goals and assisted eight more in 20 Portuguese second-tier appearances.

He’s also been an exciting and prolific presence for a variety of Portugal national youth team levels.

As Sutton says, I reckon he’s more potential right now than the finished product. But under Postecoglou, he could well take his game to new heights.

In other news, Cameron Carter-Vickers rejected Serie A move to join Celtic.