Sheffield United reportedly want Jota from Birmingham City.
Dean Smith will have already started drawing up his January transfer window shortlist at Aston Villa after joining from Brentford earlier this month, and he should be rivalling Sheffield United for one of his former players.
The Birmingham Mail claimed on Monday that Chris Wilder’s Blades fancy the Blues’ 27-year-old ahead of the January window, as he continues to supply the creativity in Garry Monk’s struggling side.
Jota only joined Birmingham in the summer of 2017 to join Brentford, and has since clocked up 47 appearances in all competitions – scoring six goals and creating six.
But beforehand, the Spaniard spent two years under Dean Smith at Griffin Park where he scored at an impressive ratio of one goal almost every three games with 23 strikes in 78 appearances.
Villa sacked Steve Bruce for a lack of attacking creativity, and other than Jack Grealish, the Championship side certainly lack in attacking midfielders that can unlock a defence.
So, Villa have to rival Sheffield United for Jota, a player that thrived under the guidance of attack-minded Smith at Brentford.
The Spanish star has the flair and attacking tenacity required to wow fans at Villa Park, and would fit right at home in a side that need to supply the likes of Tammy Abraham and Jonathan Kodjia.
Adding him into a side boasting the likes of Yannick Bolasie, Anwar El Ghazi and John McGinn would surely strengthen Smith side’s chances of gaining promotion back to the Premier League.
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