The Saudi fever has taken over world soccer in the past few months. It has become difficult to track the hunt Saudi clubs have planned for the players in Europe. From approaching players of all levels to sealing deals with the best, the Middle East has been highly successful lately. With Cristiano Ronaldo showing the way with the $500 million move to Saudi, one soccer player who recently followed the same path is speculated to be heading to the English Premier League. A small error from the current club could cost them an entire player.
Al Ittihad was one of the happiest sides last season by winning the Saudi Pro League after Al Nassr gave them a fight, falling short in some crunch games. The current champions, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and Neymar’s Al Hilal were quite active in the transfer market.
SPL could lose a young gem, months after poaching Cristiano Ronaldo
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Saudi could hire some of the top talents from Portugal, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Neves, and Otavio. But recently, Al Ittihad was caught off guard as they did not know about the limitation set by the Saudi Pro League. The club’s winger Jota, one of its newly signed players, will be the one turning back. The Portuguese player who signed for the Saudi champions is now asking to leave the club.
Jota joined Al Ittihad for a fee of $31 million from a Scottish legendary team, Celtic. The 24-year-old scored 15 goals for The Bhoys in the 2022-23 season. After a good spell in Scotland, the winger finalized an unexpected move to Saudi.
Becoming one of Scotland’s top transfers. Tottenham Hotspur on the other side is trying to use this situation to their benefit, which can reunite Ange Postecoglou with his former star. The former club of Harry Kane is reportedly keen on signing the player on a free transfer.
🚨Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou could be reunited with former Celtic winger Jota. 🟡 #Ittihad ⚪ #THFC
▪️Spurs are keen to sign the Portuguese player for free.🇵🇹pic.twitter.com/UawXae99K9 https://t.co/Z6niByEnWP
— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) September 25, 2023
Even though the contract could be terminated, and the player may go for free, the club is trying hard to keep the talent. But what suddenly happened and why is the English Premier League Club attempting to poach him? Let’s dive deeper.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Read More – After Death That Left His Mom Devastated, Cristiano Ronaldo Breaks His Silence With a 3-Word Message
That bizarre reason for the dispute
Jota was not the only great signing for the Jeddah-based club. The club bought last year’s Ballon d’Or and Champions League winner Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Fabinho from Liverpool. The presence of many foreign players cost the club. Since the Saudi Pro League allows only eight foreign players for each team, Al Ittihad has an extra player with 9. With one player needing to sacrifice playing in the Saudi League, Jota seems to be the one.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
However, the player is keen on playing the game regularly and not just games outside the Saudi League. With the current rules, Jota can only play AFC Champions League and other games outside the League. The player has good regard for Tottenham’s manager Postecoglou, and the London club’s idea is to snatch him for a free transfer. With the current club’s reluctance to let go, the saga is expected to get more interesting in the coming days.
Watch Story – Cristiano Ronaldo and All About His Pets