Celtic star Jota’s move to the Middle East appears more than likely at this point in time.
News initially surfaced on Thursday about a potential deal and it is fair to say things have moved swiftly since then.
Chris Sutton, though, has voiced his opinions on Jota’s departure and the former Hoops’ striker has been hugely critical of the Portuguese.
In his Daily Record column, Sutton blasted Jota.
He said he is trading his career at the top level for money which, granted, is true although for anyone, the figures being quoted would almost be impossible to turn down.
Furthermore, the finances will not just help Jota, but his family too. One won’t just earn six figures a month and keep it for oneself.
Sutton then went onto state that Jota will be going into ‘semi-retirement’ if he heads to Saudi Arabia:
“These guys are going into semi-retirement before they have even made a proper impact at the top level. It’s such a waste.”
The criticism from the Englishman here is coherent .
It is somewhat harsh as there is a fair amount of talent heading to Saudi Arabia but in fairness, overall, the standard isn’t that of a Premier League or La Liga.
Nevertheless, the money aspect is there and it is the main reason a plethora of players are making the move.
Despite this, Sutton made a bold statement towards the end of his column.
He claimed that in six months time, Jota will be feeling rather down:
“I’d be willing to bet Jota could be sitting on his pile of money in six months’ time feeling pretty miserable.”
It is hard to say that if someone who is earning a significant amount of cash will be down.
Sutton doesn’t know the lifestyle Jota is going to have in the Middle East nor if he may even enjoy his football over there.
After all, he will be getting coached by a top manager in Nuno and playing alongside a Balon d’Or winner in Karim Benzema and football great N’Golo Kante.
It feels as though it is a case of when not if until Jota links up with these names which is vastly disappointing but the player does not deserve the criticism he got from Sutton.
