Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a huge blow in their pursuit of 24-year-old Al Ittihad winger Jota.
According to a report by TEAMtalk, Tottenham Hotspur are keen on having Jota in their ranks. Spurs are looking to bolster their squad in the winter transfer window and have their eyes set on the 24-year-old Portuguese winger. But, they might have just suffered a huge blow in their pursuit of the former Celtic player due to a change in the rules of the Saudi Pro League.
Jota made a name for himself while playing for Celtic. He had an impressive 2022/23 season with the Scottish club as he helped them win the treble. On the back of his heroics, Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad acquired his services in the summer for a fee of just over £26 million.
The Saudi Pro League club broke the Scottish transfer record to land him at the club. And, Celtic were quite happy with the high fee that they received for the 24-year-old. However, things have not gone according to plan for Jota since making the move to the Middle East.
Each Saudi Pro League club are only allowed to have six foreign players in their matchday squad. As a result, Jota has often found himself out of the squad. He has only featured in five league games so far, and the majority of his appearances have come in the recent past.
Jota’s lack of game time has linked him with a move back to Europe. And, Tottenham Hotspur are very keen on having him in their ranks. Their manager Ange Postecoglou worked with the Portuguese international during his days at Celtic, and he feels the 24-year-old could be a great fit for the North London club.
Spurs do not have much depth in their squad, and adding a quality player like Jota could surely help their cause. They wanted to push for his services in the upcoming winter window. But, it seems they might have to wait until the end of the season to land him because of a rule change in the Saudi Pro League.
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Starting from January, each Saudi club can have 10 foreign players in their matchday squad. This change in rule will help Al-Ittihad give Jota more game time, and they might even look to add more players from Europe to their ranks. As a result, they are unlikely to sanction his sale in the winter.
