Wolves are said to be monitoring the situation of Al-Ittihad winger Jota as they seek a loan agreement.
Gary O’Neil has made it clear that he wanted to bring in attacking reinforcements above all else throughout this window, but only if the player is the right fit and the club can afford it.
In his press conference on Thursday, he offered an update on his pursuit of a new striker, casting doubt after saying the club were working on two deals but that they are no longer doable.
Wolves were trying to sign Chelsea forward Armando Broja, but the club have now pressed pause on the deal as they couldn’t agree on the obligation to buy fee, which the Blues set at £30 million.
The best avenue that the club could go down is exploring the loan market for a temporary solution and now they appear to be monitoring Al-Ittihad forward Jota.
Wolves ‘monitoring’ Jota but West Ham lead the race
It has been claimed in the Mirrors transfer blog that West Ham United have shown an interest in the 24-year-old and are ‘ones to watch’, however, other Premier League sides – including Wolves – are said to be ‘monitoring’ the situation.
The 24-year-old joined Al-Ittihad for £25 million from Celtic in the summer and many questioned that decision at the time as he was incredible for the Scottish giants.
In 83 appearances for the club, he scored 28 goals and supplied 26 assists. Last season, meanwhile, he fired in 27 goal contributions as the Hoops won the domestic treble.
Jota’s move to Saudi Arabia has spiralled into a nightmare. He hasn’t played in the Saudi Pro League since September due to ineligibility, and now Al-Ittihad are ‘trying to find a solution’ for him in the coming days.
Signing Jota on a loan deal is a no-brainer
Wolves are craving a forward player who can ease the burden from Matheus Cunha, and on a loan deal, it feels like acquiring Jota is a no-brainer.
During his time at Celtic, he was very consistent in front of goal, especially on the European stage.
Although the Scottish side struggled to compete in the Champions League, Jota scored in matches against RB Leipzig and Real Madrid last term while ranking high across various attacking metrics.
In last season’s competition, he placed in the top 7% of wingers for non-penalty goals, 6% for successful take-ons, and 3% for total shots per 90, as per FBref.
A constant menace for the opposition to deal with, who can operate centrally or on the wing, Jota could provide O’Neil with some much-needed quality and versatility in the final third.
The Portuguese star would stretch defences with his pace, and give them an extra outlet to hit in behind.
On a loan deal till the end of the season, it would be a massive coup for Wolves to land Jota.