Tottenham Hotspur may be gifted a chance to sign Al Ittihad winger Jota thanks to the tactics of former boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
Jota could be moved on by Al Ittihad in the near future amid late links with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
That is according to The Athletic, who claim that Nuno Espirito Santo’s tactical approach could push Tottenham-linked Jota out of the club.
It’s highlighted that Nuno has been playing a fairly narrow approach with central playmakers in Romarinho and Igor Coronado rather than wingers.
That means Jota has been stuck on the bench for most of his time at Al Ittihad despite only joining for £25million from Celtic in July.
The report claims that Nuno does want to switch to a system with wingers but only if Liverpool star Mohamed Salah joins Al Ittihad.
The plan would be to have Jota on the left and Salah on the right, cutting inside to cause havoc.
Yet with Salah not for sale, there is a very real prospect of Jota being stuck on the bench with Al Ittihad and potentially on his way out soon enough.
Tottenham will be watching Jota situation closely
Rumours about Jota’s potential departure have been swirling for weeks now, which is astonishing given that he has only been in Saudi Arabia for two months.
The phrase ‘more money than sense’ feels applicable here with Al ittihad splashing the cash on a player they don’t seem all that sure on.
90Min reported in late August that Tottenham had been alerted to the potential availability of Jota.
The Portuguese winger was outstanding under Ange Postecoglou at Celtic, racking up 28 goals and 26 assists in 83 games.
Postecoglou would surely love to coach Jota again having considered him a ‘special player’ during their time together in Glasgow.
There are a couple of problems with a potential move to Tottenham though.
Spurs were weighing up a move before the transfer deadline but ended up signing Nottingham Forest ace Brennan Johnson instead.
Johnson can operate across the front line and it’s maybe hard to see Tottenham adding another wide man unless Ivan Perisic moves on in January.
Spurs can now only make their move in January too, meaning Jota would face a difficult few months in the Middle East even if Tottenham did want him.
This situation is a mess for Al Ittihad and Jota will hope to receive playing time soon – or a call from Postecoglou when the transfer window re-opens.
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