With Ange Postecoglou now at the helm, Tottenham Hotspur are seemingly set to step up their summer transfer dealings, with the Lilywhites seeking to improve upon a rather turbulent and underwhelming 2022/23 campaign.
As per 90min, the 57-year-old has already given his approval with regard to certain transfer pursuits – including the club's interest in James Maddison – while there are also said to be fears among those at his former club, Celtic, that the Greek-Aussie may return to raid the Old Firm outfit.
The piece notes that among those who the one-time Australia head coach may be keen to reunite with is wing wizard, Jota, with the Portuguese sensation having dazzled under Postecoglou's watch over the last two seasons.
The 24-year-old was originally snapped up by the experienced coach on a season-long loan deal from Benfica back in the summer of 2021, before signing permanently with the Parkhead giants on a £6.4m deal a year ago.
That bargain capture already appears rather astute as the wide man is now said to be valued at around £12m, according to Football Transfers, with that a marker of the meteoric rise he has made of late.
Who is Celtic's Jota?
The £17k-per-week trickster could well prove to be the heir apparent to Heung-min Son on the left flank, with the Celtic star mirroring the South Korean international with his ability to offer quality service and a clinical presence in front of goal.
While Son endured a poor season by his own lofty standards – after scoring 'just' ten Premier League goals – the 30-year-old has typically been a consistent force for the Lilywhites over the years, bagging 145 goals and providing 80 assists in 372 games across all fronts.
Much like Jota would be to most Spurs supporters, the former Bayer Leverkusen ace was something of an unknown quantity after initially making the move to north London in 2015, although has gone on to establish himself as a "world class" talent, according to former boss, Antonio Conte.
While the Bhoys ace may not be quite at that level just yet, the Lisbon native has been something of a "revelation" in Scottish football to date, according to pundit Alex McLeish, having contributed 54 goals and assists in just 83 games in all competitions for his current side.
The 5 foot 9 ace notably showed flashes of his quality during the club's Champions League run having whipped in a delightful free-kick in the defeat to Real Madrid back in November, with pundit Frank McAvennie subsequently stating that it was "scary" that the playmaker could get even better, having not been fully fit at the time.
Evidently a man for the big occasion – having registered five goals and assists in just ten meetings with rivals Rangers – Jota also mirrors Son due to his creative quality having created 13 big chances and averaged 1.9 key passes per game in 33 Scottish Premiership games this season, while the current Spurs ace has created nine big chances and averaged 1.8 key passes per game from his 36 league outings.
Although Postecoglou is unlikely to upset the apple cart by replacing Son in the short term, the incoming boss could well find a suitable, long-term replacement for the long-serving speedster with the signing of his former asset.
