Flamboyant Portuguese winger Jota completed his move from Celtic to Al-Ittihad on Monday evening.
It was a transfer that came somewhat out of the blue, although one cannot blame the player for deciding to go to Saudi Arabia due to the financial side of things.
This is an opinion held by former Hoops gaffer Gordon Strachan. He told Genting Casino how the move is completely understandable from the players’ point of view.
Strachan said: “I would challenge anyone to turn down an offer of fifteen times their wages. You have to remember that the player will have a family that he will want to look after and, there is no doubt about it that that kind of backing can take care of that.
“Even if he were to join the club for a period of three years, and then he can move on and do what he wants after that.
“Let’s not forget that he’ll be playing alongside the likes of Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, which will be a real learning curve for him.”
Strachan is correct and open-minded in what he is saying.
Family is a key value in life for anyone, and Jota’s will be hugely boosted and helped due to this transfer.
Moreover, Strachan went on to state that any pundit would do what Jota did if offered the chance, aiming a subtle dig at Chris Sutton’s prior comments:
“It’s easy for people to question the player’s desire, but once that money is presented to you, it becomes hard to turn down. And I bet the pundits that are criticising him would all do exactly the same thing if they were offered the chance to.”
Not just pundits but anyone would follow in Jota’s footsteps if given the opportunity.
It is a vastly beneficial move for him personally and his family, and one cannot begrudge him the chance to set himself and his loved ones up for life.
