Former Celtic man wants to leave this summer despite £25m transfer

Former Celtic winger Jota has informed Al-Ittihad that he wants to leave this summer, according to a report by Al-Jazirah. The attacker has struggled to settle in Saudi Arabia and is now keen to move on in this window and find himself a new home.

The Hoops sold him to his current club last year for a fee in the region of £25million. However, the 25-year-old is already being linked with an exit from the Saudi Pro League.

The ex-Celtic favourite made 29 appearances for Al-Ittihad in all competitions last season and chipped in with five goals. Al-Jazirah’s report claims he has turned down the chance to join a team in the same league as them.

Al-Ittihad didn’t win a trophy last term and it ended up being a disappointing campaign for them. Jota said: “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.”

Celtic signed Jota back in 2021 on an initial loan deal before his move to Glasgow was later made a permanent one. He was a real hit during his time at Celtic Park and fired 28 goals in 83 matches altogether, helping them win the Scottish Premiership twice as well as the Scottish Cup and League Cup.

Ange Postecoglou was his manager during his time in Scotland before his exit to Tottenham Hotspur. The Australian boss was able to get the best out of Jota and said: “Jota in his career before he got to us (Celtic) wasn’t going on the trajectory he wanted and he was the one who made the decision to come here and work hard at his game and improve, and he is. He’s constantly improving, like all the group, and that needs to keep happening because there’s more in them, there’s more in him and I’m sure he’s working his way towards that.”

Jota started his career at Benfica and rose up through the academy ranks there. He was a regular for them at various different youth levels before breaking into their B team. The ex-Portugal youth international then went on to play 33 times for their first-team, as well as having a loan spell away at Real Vallodolid in Spain to get some experience under his belt..

Celtic then came calling and he became a key player before Benfica let him leave for good. His future is up in the air right now though with it yet to be known whether he will be sticking around with Al-Ittihad or moving on for a new start somewhere else.