Let’s take a brief detour from Celtic’s victory over Rangers to discuss an update on Jota, a former Celtic favourite, that the supporters might find interesting.
Under Ange Postecoglou, the Portuguese winger had two trophy-filled seasons at Celtic, winning a double and then a triple.
Jota was an immediate fan favourite because of his amazing talent and cunning on the wing. He was also a deadly goal scorer for Celtic.
Jota became one of Celtic’s most dangerous offensive threats with 28 goals and 26 assists in 83 games, which also earned him an enticing transfer to Al-Ittihad.On 67 Hail Hail, we have talked about Jota’s circumstances with the Saudi Arabian club a lot. And Fabrizio Romano’s report from last night only made his tumultuous experience at the club worse.
Jota’s journey since deciding to leave Glasgow last summer hasn’t been easy. In August of last year, there were questions over Jota’s long-term future at Al-Ittihad because, due to league regulations, only eight foreign players may be included in the squad. As the ninth newcomer, Jota was therefore unable to participate in the domestic league campaign.
The Portuguese player has also had to watch as Nuno Espirito Santo, the manager who signed him for a £25 million transfer, was fired in November.
This season, letting Jota go did raise some concerns. Particularly considering Celtic’s early setbacks during Brendan Rodgers’ early reign.
And now that another manager has been fired this season, it appears like the former Celtic favourite is in for further upheaval.
Could Jota make it back to Celtic, or perhaps turn around what appeared to be a bright career? Who knows?
However, one thing is certain. Jota now appears to need to establish his value to his club once more as they start looking for a new manager, suggesting that his decision to leave Glasgow was the wrong one.
Matt O’Riley, a midfielder for Celtic, has been playing brilliantly this season under Brendan Rodgers’ direction.
Two unidentified Premier League clubs are rumoured to be in talks over a move for the Denmark international, who has been instrumental in leading his team to the brink of Scottish Premiership glory and the Scottish Cup final [Tipsbladet].
Given O’Riley’s amazing return of 16 goals and 17 assists in 42 games across all competitions for Celtic in 2023–24, according to Transfermarkt, admiration for his talent is not surprising.
The London-born playmaker leads the Hoops in goals, assists, average match rating, chances created (86), “big chances” fashioned (13), and expected assists (10.4) while on league duty, according to Fotmob, demonstrating why he is such a highly sought-after asset.
Celtic hosted their yearly Player of the Year awards over the weekend at the OVO Hydro in front of a packed house. To the joy of his devoted fan base [Celtic FC], O’Riley unsurprisingly won the Young Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year, and Player of the Year Awards. Since joining Parkhead in January 2022, the former MK Dons player has developed into a fantastic asset, regardless of what happens to him during the summer.
Following his Sunday night sweep of three major trophies, O’Riley posted an emotional note on Instagram to his teammates and the Celtics supporters.The caption on the picture, which features the 23-year-old holding his trophies with pride, said, “Thank you to both my teammates & the fans (green heart emoji)” Happy to be a member of this family (emoji of a four-leaf clover
Joe Hart praised his friend in the comments section for pulling off a mini-treble that evening, describing the feat as “superb.”
In a similar vein, former Celtic player Josip Juranovic expressed his gratitude for his former teammate by responding with a string of emojis. Among those quick to congratulate were Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo, Mikey Johnston, njamin Siegrist, Reo Hatate, and Gustaf Lagerbielke.
It’s fantastic to see so many Celtics—both past and present—giving O’Riley the praise he merits in light of his heroics in green and white this term. With any luck, he’ll be able to reward his labours with some cutlery.
