Former Celtic icon Jota’s honest assessment of debut campaign in Saudi Arabia

Celtic fans were left shocked when Portuguese winger Jota departed to complete a record-breaking transfer to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad last summer.

Spending two full seasons at Parkhead, the 25-year-old became an icon in Glasgow’s east end, registering 26 goals and 28 assists in 83 appearances across all competitions.

Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers’ men couldn’t turn down the £25 million fee they received for the Benfica youth product; however, his spell in Saudi Arabia has presented its fair share of unforeseen difficulties.

Initially, Jota found himself in a strange predicament in Jeddah due to squad registration issues that led to rumours of a swift exit not long after he decided to move to the Gulf region from Celtic.

Following some confusing circumstances, he is now a regular at Al-Ittihad and has notched four goals and one assist in 22 outings, operating primarily off the left flank [Transfermarkt].

With four matches left to play, Al Hilal are on the brink of claiming league glory, with a 12-point advantage over second-placed Al-Nassr.

Despite Al-Ittihad still technically retaining the title of reigning champions, Marcelo Gallardo’s men are fifth in the standings, suffering a notable drop-off from their title-winning exploits of 2022/23.

The People’s Club also exited the Saudi Super Cup and Kings Cup of Champions at Al Hilal’s hands, ensuring they will end the campaign without silverware.

Former Celtic man Jota keen for Al-Ittihad to bounce back

During his memorable spell, Jota won five medals at Celtic; nevertheless, he is keen for Al-Ittihad to bounce back from their trophyless season.

Last week, despite getting on the scoresheet with an equaliser, his side lost 3-1 to relegation-threatened Abha at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium, conceding ground in the fight for continental qualification.

Speaking to SSC (Saudi Sports Company), cited via The Daily Record, Jota delivered an honest assessment of Al-Ittihad’s season, vowing to claim silverware in the future at the club.

He stated: “We apologise to the fans for leaving the King’s Cup and the rest of the tournaments. We have to improve ourselves. We will work to correct the results in the upcoming matches. Al-Ittihad is a big club and will return to winning trophies. It is difficult to express what happened in today’s match.”

Celtic had to move on swiftly from Jota’s departure

From a Celtic standpoint, Jota’s presence has undoubtedly been missed this season, and it would’ve been an intriguing prospect to see his performances under Rodgers’ guidance.

Either way, there is no time to stand still in Football. High-calibre players at Parkhead will always attract interest, which will be hard to ignore while balancing the financial realities of the modern Game.

Celtic have moved on from Jota; however, his performances lit up the Scottish Premiership for two years, so it is only fair to wish him well on his career journey.