Rodgers can find Jota 2.0 in Celtic move for star who could be worth £30m

Celtic were hit with a devastating blow at the start of this month when it was revealed that Jota could be out of action for up to nine months with a knee injury.

The Hoops winger hobbled off during the 5-0 win over Dundee United away from home at the end of last month, the game that clinched the Scottish Premiership title, and is now set to be out of action until next year.

Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that he will be out for between six and nine months after suffering cruciate ligament damage, which means that he will miss pre-season and the start of next season at a minimum.

It comes as a big blow for the Scottish giants because the winger had provided four goals and two assists in seven league matches after his return to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

Celtic reportedly paid £8m to sign the Portuguese wizard from Rennes on a permanent deal, 18 months on from selling him to Al Ittihad for a fee of £25m.

How Celtic played a masterclass with Jota

Ange Postecoglou initially signed the forward on loan from Benfica in the summer of 2021 before a permanent deal was struck to bring him to Parkhead on a long-term contract in 2022.

The Hoops reportedly splashed out a fee of £6.5m to convert his loan into a permanent deal, as per the option to buy that was included in the initial move, and the exciting attacker justified that fee with his performances on the pitch in the Premiership.

Jota scored ten goals and provided ten assists in less than 30 appearances in the Scottish top-flight during his loan spell at Parkhead, which convinced the club to activate their £6.5m option to sign him permanently.

The dynamic forward instantly repaid their faith in him with another excellent campaign in the Premiership during the 2022/23 season under Postecoglou’s management, as he delivered goals and assists on a regular basis once again.

As you can see in the table above, Jota scored more goals and provided more assists than he did in his first year at the club, which shows that he was heading in the right direction from a development perspective.

His impressive form for Celtic in those seasons, however, led to interest from elsewhere, and Al Ittihad eventually swooped in to sign him for a fee of £25m, representing a significant profit on the £6.5m that they paid for his services.

This shows that the Hoops played a masterclass with Jota because they snapped up a young talent from Benfica, initially on loan, and provided him with a platform to showcase his quality before selling him for a huge fee, only to re-sign the winger 18 months later.

Celtic could, now, repeat that masterclass by swooping to sign another talented young winger who has been linked with a move to Parkhead, Kwame Poku.

The latest on Celtic and Kwame Poku

GIVEMESPORT recently reported that Birmingham City are concerned that they could lose the race to sign Peterborough United forward Kwame Poku to Celtic or Rangers.

The outlet pointed out that the two Scottish giants would have to pay a significantly lower compensation fee for the winger, whose contract expires this summer, because of the UEFA cross-border compensation deals, than any English team would have to pay.

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GIVEMESPORT added that Peterborough’s director of football, Barry Fry, has already confirmed that Rangers and Celtic scouts have been at their games this season to watch the 23-year-old talent in the flesh.

The report revealed that Birmingham and Sheffield United, among other English sides, are also interested in the winger, though, and that means that there is likely to be plenty of competition for his signature.

Celtic must, now, push to win the race for his services because he could arrive at Parkhead with the potential to be the next version of Jota for the club.

Why Kwame Poku could be Celtic’s next Jota

The Ghana international could be Jota 2.0 for the Hoops for several reasons, most notably that he is also an exciting winger who can provide goals and assists on a regular basis.

Whilst he is a left-footed forward who predominantly plays on the right, as opposed to a right-footer on the left like Jota, Poku is similar to the Portuguese talent in the way that he looks to make an impact in the final third.

As you can see in the table above, Poku has delivered 21 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in his last two seasons in League One with the Posh, which shows that he can offer a constant threat at the top end of the pitch.

Whilst he is yet to show that he can translate that to the top level in England, these statistics show that the potential is there for him to be a Jota-esque figure for Celtic with his quality on the wing.

Such is his potential, Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony believes that his next move could cost £30m: “He’s top drawer. He has everything, a great technique, pace and physicality. He will be a Premier League star in the future and that next move will probably cost £30m.”

At the age of 23, Poku still has plenty of time left to develop and improve, and he could use a transfer to Celtic as a platform to shine on the domestic and European stage whilst winning trophies to enhance his value, as Jota did under Postecoglou.

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Therefore, the Hoops could find Jota 2.0 by signing Poku because he is another exceptional wing talent who can provide goals and assists, whilst also having the potential to be worth millions more in the future if he hits his stride at Parkhead.