Celtic can unearth Jota replacement in “phenomenal” star who’s like Foden

One of the top priorities for Celtic in the summer transfer window might be finding a winger to replace Jota until the Portuguese star returns from his long-term injury.

The Hoops swooped to sign the exciting forward from Rennes during the January window, re-signing him 18 months on from his move to Al Ittihad, and he made a fast start to life back in Glasgow.

Jota racked up four goals and two assists in 11 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, despite starting just seven of those matches, after returning to the club at the start of the year.

Unfortunately, though, he suffered a knee injury against Dundee United that is now set to keep him out of action for the start of next season, and possibly into next year.

It was stated at the start of May that Jota had suffered a cruciate ligament injury that is going to see him sit on the sidelines for between six and nine months.

Celtic may look to go out and sign another winger before the end of the summer transfer window because Brendan Rodgers could be without the forward’s talents for half of next term.

Why Jota’s injury is a big blow for Celtic

As aforementioned, Jota made a fast start to his second spell at Parkhead and showed that he can still make a big impact at the top end of the pitch at Premiership level, 18 months on from his first exit from Glasgow.

The 26-year-old whiz did not play a competitive match under Rodgers during his first spell, as he left in the same summer that the manager returned, but the attacker quashed any concerns that the style would not suit him as well as Ange Postecoglou’s did.

As you can see in the table above, Jota immediately became one of the top attacking wide players in the Premiership after his return to Parkhead, ranking highly among his positional peers in a host of key metrics as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

That form would not have come as a big surprise to many in Glasgow, though, as the winger had produced 21 goals and 21 assists in his two seasons in the Scottish top-flight under Postecoglou’s management in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns.

Jota, as shown in the highlights above, found the back of the net 15 times in all competitions for the Scottish giants in his second season under the Australian boss, which led to his move to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023.

His form across his two spells at Celtic so far illustrates why it is such a blow to lose the forward to a long-term injury heading into the 2025/26 campaign, because Rodgers’ side will not benefit from the goals and assists that he can provide for several months.

This is why the club may look at their options in the summer transfer window to potentially bring in a new player to compete for a spot out wide, to ensure that the manager is not left short at the top end of the pitch before Jota returns.

However, Celtic could save themselves millions by unearthing a surprise replacement for the Portuguese wizard in the form of Marco Tilio, who has been out on loan in his home country this season.

Why Marco Tilio could be a surprise Jota replacement

The 23-year-old winger signed for the Hoops from Melbourne City in the summer of 2023, but arrived at Parkhead with an injury that meant that he started his career at the club on the back foot.

Tilio only made two appearances in the Premiership as a substitute after coming back from his injury, before being sent out on loan to Melbourne for the second half of the season.

The left-footed star did not fare much better in that initial loan spell back in Australia, though, as he missed a further 13 matches through injury, and managed just one goal in four league appearances.

Tilio then re-joined Melbourne City on loan for the 2024/25 campaign and was absent for 12 games during the first half of the season with a hamstring injury, which left the forward in a difficult situation after 18 months of constant injury problems.

However, the Hoops loanee, who was once described as a “phenomenal” talent by A-League striker Bruce Djite, has not suffered a single injury since returning to action in January, and has caught the eye with his impressive performances.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig once compared Tilio to Manchester City superstar Phil Foden, describing them as “similar” players, and the left-footed playmaker is finally starting to live up to that hype with his form in the A-League for Melbourne City during the 2024/25 campaign.

Whilst he may not be on the same level, quality-wise, as the Premier League star, the Celtic loanee is similar in the sense that he is also a left-footed and diminutive playmaker who can play on either flank or centrally in the attack.

As you can see in the table above, Tilio was on fire in Australia in the second half of this season with an eye-catching haul of 14 goals and ‘big chances created’ combined in just 19 appearances.

These statistics show that the potential is there for him to provide quality in front of goal on a regular basis when fit and available to play, whilst playing on the left or the right flank, like Jota.

Interestingly, he also won possession back in the final third 1.4 times per game in the final third, which suggests that he would be brilliant for the way that Rodgers wants his team to counter press and win possession back off the opposition in their defensive third.

Daizen Maeda, for example, only won the ball back in the final third 0.4 times per game in the Premiership this term, which speaks to the kind of pressing quality that Tilio could offer.

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Overall, Celtic could save themselves millions by utilising the Australia international as a short-term replacement for Jota until he returns from injury, as he would not cost a penny to bring into the squad and his form out on loan suggests that the potential is there for him to be an exciting option for the Hoops moving forward.