Summary Tottenham Hotspur may target Jota as an offensive reinforcement after selling Harry Kane, with manager Ange Postecoglou knowing him from his time at Celtic. Jota had an impressive season in the Scottish Premiership under Postecoglou before signing for Al-Ittihad. Jota's arrival could benefit struggling star Richarlison, as he continues his poor start to life at Spurs.
While Tottenham Hotspur have made a raft of signings this summer, the £100m sale of esteemed talisman Harry Kane to Bayern Munich has left manager Ange Postecoglou eyeing another offensive reinforcement.
What's the latest on Jota to Tottenham Hotspur?
According to 90min, the Lilywhites are considering a swoop for Al-Ittihad's Jota, who has already been transfer-listed by the Saudi Arabian champions despite only signing from Celtic for £25m in July.
The Portuguese winger is well-known to Postecoglou, who wielded the ace with the Scottish giants before taking the reins at Spurs this summer.
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Now rated at £20m by Football Transfers, Jota could prove to be an astute purchase for Tottenham, who could utilise his dynamic qualities ahead of a crucial Premier League campaign.
How good is Jota?
While Jota is not a centre-forward and, as such, not the man to replace Kane, he is an exciting and multi-faceted winger capable of exploding into the danger area and unleashing strikes on goal, as well as breaking the lines with his slick passing.
Indeed, the 24-year-old was in captivating form in the Scottish Premiership last term under Postecoglou's wing, earning a stunning average Sofascore rating of 7.45, posting 11 goals and assists apiece from 33 matches, completing 80% of his passes and averaging 1.9 key passes per game.
For comparison, Son Heung-min earned an average rating of 7.08 in the English top-flight last term, scoring ten goals and supplying six assists, completing 82% of his passes and making 1.8 key passes per outing.
It's important to note that Jota has played in a division of unequivocal inferior quality in Scotland, but the semblance between his skill set and the Lilywhites' new captain does bode well when considering how he would fare under Postecoglou in the Premier League.
Hailed as a "revelation" by former Rangers and Scotland boss Alex McLeish, Jota has been making waves and is a player that Postecoglou knows well.
Meanwhile, not only would he slot right into the Australian manager's system, but he could bring the best out of struggling star Richarlison.
Richarlison signed for Tottenham in a £60m deal one year ago after plundering 53 goals and 14 assists across 152 outings for divisional rivals Everton, while also bagging 20 strikes from just 44 caps for the Brazilian national team.
However, his fortunes have taken a turn for the worse in north London, with the 26-year-old netting just three goals and supplying four assists from 38 matches.
He was also criticised for "poor" decision-making by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick and branded "toothless" by writer Andrew Gaffney last term.
However, as said by Postecoglou, he is still a tenacious attacking outlet with a "really strong work ethic", and given that he still ranks among the top 12% of positional peers for touches in the attacking box and the top 7% for aerial wins per 90, as per FBref, he could be the focal point from which Jota could channel his boundless creativity.
With a multi-functional winger such as Jota providing support from different angles and easing the burden on Son's shoulders, Tottenham's attack could unleash a more unified sense of fluidity, and signing Jota could be the dream solution to unlocking the capabilities of this team as they eye a return to the upper echelon of the Premier League this season.