Chris Sutton has slated Jota's imminent transfer exit from Celtic as a "waste" as the winger looks set to join Saudi outfit Al-Itthad.
Reports in Saudi emerged this week that the Portuguese star was close to joining the Saudi Pro League side for a bumper fee that would rival the fee Celtic received for Kieran Tierney from Arsenal.
A further story today has stated that Jota has now agreed personal terms, so the deal could be announced as early as this weekend.
Celtic hero Sutton believes Jota will come to regret his move as he took aim at the Saudi top flight.
In his Daily Record column, he explained: "There’s a scene that keeps coming back into my head right now. It’s of Jota scoring a superb free kick against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu and celebrating like he’d just won the World Cup.
"I found the reaction pretty embarrassing given the fact Celtic were 5-0 down at the time but afterwards he talked about how special a moment it was for him producing a moment of magic like that in the Champions League against one of the greats.
"He should have had the head down while jogging back to the centre circle with the minimum of fuss. The point is, Jota seemed to be piling it because of where it was and the stage it was on. But if this deal to Al-Ittihad goes through he’d be throwing all prospect of more of that kind of experience straight into the bin. Remember that Brendan Rodgers banner about trading immortality for mediocrity? Jota will be trading his career at the top level for money. Simple as that.
"Let’s not sugar coat it here. If he moves to Saudi Arabia, spare us any talk it’s for footballing reasons. It will be for cold hard cash. Nothing more. Listen, I get how his head could be turned. The numbers being quoted are unbelievable, with talk of up to £10million a year.
"It’s a heck of a lot of money – but at what cost? Jota is 24 years old and not even in his prime yet. It was a similar story with Ruben Neves leaving Wolves for the Gulf State at 26. These guys are going into semi-retirement before they have even made a proper impact at the top level. It’s such a waste."
