LOYALTY is a scarce commodity in football these days, and John Hartson has been around the block long enough to know that it is not even close to being the main currency by which transfers are determined.
That being said, he remains hopeful that it still counts for something, and specifically in the case of Jota, who has been a revelation since he made the loan move to Celtic from Benfica in the summer.
The winger, who got the goal in Celtic’s draw with Rangers at the weekend which all but guaranteed the league title for Ange Postecoglou’s men, has been given a platform to shine in Glasgow, and he has seized that opportunity with relish.
Reports out of Portugal earlier in the week suggested that he has found a home here, and that he had signalled to his parent club his intention to remain at Celtic on a permanent transfer.
Hartson hopes that there hasn’t been anything lost in translation, and Jota has recognised that no matter how good he has been for Celtic, Celtic have also been very good for him and his career.
With an agreed fee of £6m already understood to be in place should Celtic wish to make the move permanent, manager Postecoglou has long signalled that it would now be down to the player to determine where his immediate future lies.
When he comes to make that choice, Hartson says he should remember that without the loan move to Celtic, he might still be a relative unknown, trying to make a name for himself in the Benfica B team.
“He’s been a great loan signing, hasn’t he?” Hartson said. “And it would be nice [if he stayed] because I know there is not a lot of loyalty in football these days.
“Players come and go, players let contracts run down and these things. But Jota was very much an unknown quantity at Benfica a year ago now and Ange Postecoglou has given him a level and a platform to come and play at a global club like Celtic.
“To go and make a name for himself in Europe and an opportunity to play at a massive club with a huge expectation under pressure.
“Jota has been sensational at times. Yes he’s had a couple of injuries, yes sometimes he didn’t hit heights of previous games or weeks. But in terms of his goals the past couple of weeks…
“If he has a choice of clubs - and I don’t know what the deal is exactly - and £6 million is the reported figure. If he has one or two options, I would like to think he won’t forget what Ange and the Celtic fans have done for him.
“As I say, there’s no loyalty in the game now. But I’d like to think that if he has the opportunity to sign, with what they have done for him as a young progressing footballer, he would stay.”
That’s not to say that Hartson necessarily believes Celtic would be tying Jota down as a long-term playing asset should they persuade him to put pen to paper on a contract, but by doing so, the 23-year-old would perhaps be able to repay Celtic in a financial sense for the faith they placed in him.
In fact, he sees no reason why he cannot double the £6m outlay it may take to get him in, should he keep up the form he showed this season.
“Absolutely,” he said. “There’s no reason why they can’t. He’s young, he’ll get better. He’s not the same player that he was in Benfica’s B Team and you get that.
“You get experience because you are playing in front of a crowd where you have to win. If you lose or draw in such a tight race, it’s not good enough. You have to win at Celtic and he’s been part of a winning team.
“There’s no doubt if he keeps progressing and improving at the speed of knots he has done this season, there is no doubt they could double or treble their money.
“Everyone has money now. Southampton can pay £30 or £40 million for a player. Championship clubs can pay. That’s for the agent and player to discuss.
“For me, I think the ones that do very well for you, you look after them.
“Martin O’Neill always said ‘If you do well for me then I’ll bang the chairman’s door down for you.’ He’d say ‘You show me that loyalty, show me that consistency and work for me and I’ll be first to get you a new deal.’
“So you’ve got to tie down those players who made a big difference.”
What may help Celtic’s case to keep Jota – and other talents like Cameron Carter-Vickers – is the carrot of Champions League group football that the club are now assured of, presuming they go ahead and win the title, of course.
“It’s massive, absolutely massive,” Hartson said.
“At the start of the season I can’t help but think – and this is not a dig at Rangers – that they thought the Champions League was theirs for the taking.
“They looked at it, considering the situation Celtic were in last summer, that even if they weren’t quite at the level they were under Gerrard, they could still win the league. Even if they were at a level below.
“Look at the problems Celtic have. But for Celtic to overturn that and pip them…we knew what the carrot was at the end of the season, the holy grail…the Champions League, the best platform a player can ever play at in his career apart from international football.
“Some players will say it’s better than international football, although for me it was international football. Representing your country, you can’t go higher. Second to that for me, club football it’s Champions League.
“All players want to play Champions League and you can’t help think what a difference that £40 million could make, possibly more if they go through to the knockout stages – maybe go to £45-50 million.”
* John Hartson was speaking at his Foundation’s annual golf day at Turnberry. John has raised more than £1million in the past decade for a variety of cancer causes.
