He may have thought his nightmare was fading after leaving Al-Ittihad – but Jota is facing another massive career turning point at Stade Rennes.
The 25-year-old endured a nightmare spell in the Saudi Pro League after leaving Celtic in the summer of 2023 for a mega money £25million fee – but quickly drifted out of the picture in Ittihad and eyed a return to Europe from the Middle East. The Portuguese winger made the move to the Ligue 1 side and was enjoying a career resurgence under Julian Stephen despite difficult early season results for Rennes.
But after Stephen was shown the door the club appointed earlier this month Jorge Sampaoli with the forward immediately being dropped from the starting line-up by the boss. He made a 10-minute cameo off the bench in the first game in the Argentine bosses tenure before being handed another late run-out in the 5-0 rout of Saint-Etienne.
Following the full-time whistle, Sampaoli was put on the spot on his decision to leave the £6.7m summer recruit on the fringes. He responded: “Why was Jota on the bench at the start of the match? For me he’s mainly a winger, not an interior player who can help balance the team.”
It could leave the wide man facing another change of club after less than six months – having waxed lyrical about his time in the Scottish Premiership just last month. He admitted he couldn’t wait to one day show his children Parkhead, telling the media in France: “You had to be in Glasgow at that moment to feel it. Playing at Celtic Park, feeling the love of the fans, having the chance to be coached by an incredible coach (Ange Postecoglou) in a group where everything turned out well.
“You have to thank everyone. I hope one day to be able to show my children what it was like, all the love I received. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. It touched me because I didn’t expect it. When they started singing it, it was a very special moment.”