Luckless Jota is facing the prospect of being frozen out by a second consecutive club after dropping out of the picture at Stade Rennes.
The 25-year-old brought the curtain down on a a nightmare spell in the Saudi Pro League last summer having taken the gamble of moving to Al-Ittihad for a mega-money contract as he left Celtic in the summer of 2023 for a whopping £25million. However, things didn’t work out for the winger in the Middle East and he was dropped from the squad for league games almost instantly after his arrival.
The forward managed to secure a return to Europe with Rennes and appeared to be reviving his career in Ligue 1 under boss Julian Stephen – but a dip in form sparked a change in the dugout with Jorge Sampaoli brought in last month. That has seen the £6.7million summer recruit drop to the fringes once again.
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. He failed to make it off the bench during the derby clash with Nantes, and in the wake of the defeat Sampaoli has hinted the Portuguese star may not be in his plans.
Asked about the decision to cast aside the likes of Jota early in his tenure, the experienced boss explained his defensive focus to grind out results. He told L’Equipe: “It’s really very early to draw definitive conclusions. In the short term, there are choices to be made in relation to the need for results with criteria that can change depending on performance and competition.
“The priority is the defensive order so we can gain confidence. Everyone is in constant evaluation, we are always trying to understand why there have been so many problems in the past. I am looking for players capable of interpreting my idea of play and the choices will also depend on performance.”
The abrupt gear change on his Rennes career comes after he gushed about his time in the Scottish Premiership earlier this season. 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.”