Celtic turn their attention away from the Scottish Premiership this weekend as they prepare to take on St. Johnstone in the semi-finals of the SFA Cup on Sunday.
The Hoops are hoping to win the SFA Cup in order to complete a domestic treble for the second time in the last three seasons, after Ange Postecoglou did so in the 2022/23 campaign, as they have already won the League Cup.
Brendan Rodgers is aiming for a perfect domestic campaign despite losing Matt O’Riley to Brighton & Hove Albion last summer and Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes in January.
The Scottish giants sold their Japanese forward to the French side for a reported fee of £10m earlier this year, but they also managed to bring Jota back to Parkhead in return.
Celtic reportedly paid a fee of £8m to sign the Portuguese winger, 18 months on from selling him to Al Ittihad for £25m, which essentially meant that the club received Jota and £2m from Rennes, in a roundabout way, for Kyogo.
There may not be too many complaints about the way that things turned out for the Hoops in that window, because the forward has hit the ground running in his second spell at Parkhead.
Why Jota has been a good signing for Celtic
The former Benfica whiz had big expectations on his shoulders upon his arrival in Glasgow in the January transfer window, due to what he had produced in his two seasons under Ange Postecoglou.
As you can see in the graphic above, Jota delivered consistent quality at the top end of the pitch in those two Premiership seasons under the Australian head coach, with 21 goals and 21 assists.
This meant that it was a reasonable expectation for Jota to come in and immediately bolster the squad with instant performances on the pitch when he arrived in January, and the forward has met those expectations.
Appearances (starts)
10 (6)
Goals
4
Big chances missed
1
Big chances created
3
Assists
2
Dribbles completed
10
As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese starlet has already contributed with seven goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in six Premiership starts this year.
This shows that he has provided the instant impact that was expected of him, and rightly so, given his proven quality at that level, which is why he has been an excellent signing for the Hoops.
It was a terrific opportunity for all parties involved to bring Jota back to a club where he knows he can be a star player, and the forward will hopefully continue to impress in the final third in the months and years to come in Glasgow.
Despite all of this, Celtic are now being linked with an interest in a young talent who could go on to become even better than the Portuguese sensation at Parkhead.
The latest on Celtic's interest in Premier League starlet
According to Football Insider, the Scottish giants are one of a number of clubs chasing a deal to sign Crystal Palace youngster Jesse Derry in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that both Celtic and Rangers are interested in a swoop for the 17-year-old attacker, and that teams across Europe have also made contact with the player about a possible move this summer.
It states that teams have become aware of his potential availability after the England youth international turned down a professional contract to remain at Selhurst Park.
Football Insider adds that PSG, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid have all sent scouts to watch him in action, whilst there are also Premier League teams looking at the teen sensation.
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The outlet reveals that Derry would be open to moving abroad, whether that is to one of those European sides or to Scotland, but it remains to be seen where he will end up next season.
There looks set to be plenty of competition for the 17-year-old talent’s signature this summer, and Celtic must push to win the race for his services, because he could become even better than Jota.
Why Jesse Derry could become even better than Jota
The current Hoops forward came up through the Benfica academy with a return of nine goals and eight assists in 47 matches for the B team, and four goals and eight assists in 17 games in the Youth League.
This shows that the Portuguese dynamo enjoyed an impressive, but not completely outstanding, career at youth level before coming to Scotland to shine under Postecoglou with roughly ten goals and ten assists per season in the Premiership.
Derry, son of former Palace and QPR defender Shaun, has shown incredible promise at youth level for Palace in recent years, to the point where he looks like an even better prospect than Jota did at Benfica.
Per Football Insider, the teenage ace has scored 20 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions for the Eagles at youth level in the current campaign, including nine goals in eight U18 Premier League matches.
As you can see in the clip of one of those 20 goals above, Derry is similar in style to Jota as a left-winger who likes to cut in on his right foot to find the far corner.
The Palace youngster, who U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed has been “tearing things up” at youth level, also scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 17 matches in the 2023/24 campaign.
This means that the England U19 international has scored 31 goals in 44 games for Palace since the start of last season, which is a far superior youth record in comparison to what Jota did with Benfica’s academy before his move to Celtic, whilst playing in the same position.
This, therefore, suggests that the potential is there for Derry, who is reportedly being looked at by some of Europe’s biggest clubs, to become even better than Jota on the left wing by providing an incredible goalscoring threat by cutting in on his right foot.
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That is why Celtic must push to sign the teenage starlet in the summer because he could be an exceptional long-term addition to the squad, as a winger with the qualities to emerge as a first-team star in the future if he can translate his academy form over to senior football to be even better than Jota.