MX23RW : Wednesday, December 18 13:59:30| >> :120:7884:7884:

Tottenham Hotspur 'step up interest in Al-Ittihad's Jota'

Tottenham 'step up interest in Al-Ittihad's Jota'
© Reuters
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly stepping up their efforts to sign Al-Ittihad winger Jota, who previously worked with Ange Postecoglou at Celtic.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly stepped up their pursuit of Al-Ittihad winger Jota.

The 24-year-old has experienced a difficult time since joining Al-Ittihad from Celtic for £25m in the summer transfer window.

Jota featured as a substitute in Al-Ittihad's opening five league games, but he has been unable to play in the Saudi Pro League since September.

The Portuguese attacker is ineligible to play due to a rule limiting Saudi Pro League clubs to eight foreign players in their squad.

In addition to Jota, the Saudi Arabian side brought in a number of players from overseas in the summer, including Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Fabinho and Luiz Felipe.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou pictured on November 6, 2023© Reuters

With Jota unable to feature in the domestic league, his only three appearances in the last two months have taken place in the AFC Champions League.

According to The Times, Tottenham could offer Jota a way out of Al-Ittihad, with the Premier League club stepping up their pursuit to secure his services.

Spurs are believed to be prioritising a centre-back in the January window, but they are also looking at short-term cover on the flanks due to a couple of injuries.

Tottenham will be without Croatia international Ivan Perisic for the remainder of the season after he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in September.

Celtic's Jota celebrates scoring their first goal with Matt O'Riley on April 2, 2023© Reuters

Manor Salomon, who picked up an injury in training, underwent knee surgery last month and his recovery process will keep him out until the new year.

As a result, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been left with Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Bryan Gil as his wide options.

With Al-Ittihad prepared to entertain a loan departure for Jota, Tottenham could look to bring him in on a temporary deal until the end of the season.

Postecoglou is fully aware of Jota's capabilities after working with the winger during his time as Celtic manager.

In two seasons with the Scottish giants, Jota scored 28 goals and provided 26 assists in 83 appearances across all competitions.

ID:530014:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4814:
Written by
Ben Sully

Click here for more stories about Karim Benzema

Click here for more stories about Tottenham Hotspur

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Celtic's Jota on November 2, 2022
Read Next:
Tottenham 'considering January loan move for Jota'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!