His tenure at Rennes has swiftly turned sour since leaving the Saudi Pro League last summer.
Jota may have thought his misery was over after leaving Al-Ittihad, but he is now facing another major career turning point at Stade Rennes. The 25-year-old experienced a dreadful stint in the Saudi Pro League after leaving Celtic in the summer of 2023 for a massive £25 million deal – but swiftly faded out of the picture at Ittihad and aimed a return to Europe from the Middle East.
Despite poor early season performances for Rennes, the Portuguese winger joined the Ligue 1 club and is experiencing a career revival under Julian Stephen.
However, after Stephen was fired, the club hired Jorge Sampaoli earlier this month, and the forward was promptly pulled from the starting lineup by the new manager. He made a 10-minute cameo off the bench in the Argentine manager’s debut game in charge before being given another late run-out in the 5-0 thrashing of Saint Etienne.
Following the final whistle, Sampaoli was questioned about his decision to keep the £6.7 million summer signing on the margins. He responded, “Why was Jota on the bench at the start of the game?” For me, he’s more of a winger than an interior guy who can assist balance the squad.”
After waxing lyrical about his time in the Scottish Premiership last month, the wide player may be moving on to another club in less than six months. He said he couldn’t wait to show his kids Parkhead, telling the French media: “You had to be in Glasgow at the time to feel it. Playing at Celtic Park, feeling the supporters’ enthusiasm, and being mentored by a fantastic coach (Ange Postecoglou) with a team that played well.
“You need to thank everyone. I hope to be able to show my children what it was like, all the affection I received. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life. It touched me since I wasn’t expecting it. When they began singing it, it was a very amazing moment.”
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