The Blues record signing has joined the club’s Second City rivals.
Birmingham City have announced that attacking midfielder Jota has joined Second City rivals Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee on a two-year deal.
The 27-year-old played for current Villans boss Dean Smith at Brentford before moving to the Blues in a club-record deal (over £6million according to BBC Sport) in the summer of 2017.
During his time at Birmingham, Jota scored eight goals in 75 appearances, while in the season just gone he scored three goals and claimed nine assists in 40 Championship games (Transfermarkt).
Birmingham announced the news with a statement on their official website which was also shared on Twitter:
Here is what some Blues fans made of the news, with several not exactly overly disappointed with the switch:
Villa midfielder Gary Gardner, meanwhile, has gone in the opposite direction, joining the St Andrew’s side for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal after having spent the 2018-19 campaign on loan there.
The 26-year-old midfielder is following in the footsteps of older brother Craig Gardner, who made the same move across the city nine years ago and, following stints at Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion, returned to the Blues in 2017.
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