Jota - Welcome Home!

There is plenty of intrigue surrounding Jota's return to Celtic, following the £8m deal that ensured his switch from Rennes to Glasgow last week.


The Portuguese winger is ready to make another debut in green and white on Sunday with the visit to Motherwell.

What is his match readiness after a lack of game time in the 18 months since his departure?

Manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Friday that he'll be part of the squad travelling to Fir Park, though qualified that by stating he needs to work back to full fitness.

The smart money is on him appearing as a substitute rather than a starter.

The follow-up question in many people's minds is, will he hit the heights of his first spell at the club?


There's little doubt that patience will be required when assessing the Jota return. Like Nicolas Kuhn last year, his full potential may not be realised until a few months into life at Lennoxtown.

However, opinions will naturally form quickly, and every Celtic supporter hopes Jota will at least show early flashes of the brilliance that made him a hero the first time around.

For new teammate Luke McCowan, the winger is already making a strong first impression.

Having witnessed him 'terrorise' Scottish football in years gone by, the midfielder has now seen his ability up close over the last week and likes what is on offer.

McCowan said, "He’s been amazing in training so far. He looked very sharp, just like the last time I watched him. I played against him when he was at Celtic before a couple of years ago.

"It’s great to have him in the building. I hadn’t met him before but he’s such a nice guy. He’s immediately gelled back in, probably just like he did previously.

"What will he bring to our team? He’s similar to Nicolas Kuhn. He takes the ball and travels with it. He drives forward, commits people and wants to get shots off or assist goals. So by doing that I’m sure he’ll help the team."

McCowan is also hoping that Jota will provide that attacker 'swagger' that marked him out as must-watch, exciting player previously - albeit not for the opposition.

The midfielder continued, "I didn’t like watching him when I played against him. Because he was usually terrorising my team.

"But as a fan, I’d watch the derby games and some of the goals he scored in them were special. He had a swagger about him and hopefully he’ll have that again."

 

Every single strand of hair is perfect

 

Im so buzzing to see him play again. Him and kuhn on the wings is deadly

 

He didn't get much of a chance in the saudi league, they had a foreign players quota and his team brought in more stupid money signings and he got left out of the squad.

 

Beautiful

 

Magical

 

So good..

Added bit of class when he came on as well with some of his runs..

 

Looks far sharper than I expected him to be.

Like he's never left !

 

Meant everything to get that goal

 

That meant a lot to him.

 

Amazing great start

 

Such an entertainer

 

Jota on the * wing!!!! What a handsome, brilliant * this bhoy is.

 

What a * bhoy

 

Made me want to greet too

 

Massively..

He'll be up to speed far sooner than we thought..

 

Looked good when he came on

 

Magnificent.
Genuine emotion from a player who is back where he belongs and is loved.

Also looked very sharp, fit and confident - the prodigal son returns!

 

Perfect homecoming