According to a recent report by the Daily Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur are keeping tabs on the progress of Benfica winger Jota ahead of a potential €30m (£25.6m) deal in the summer. However, the same source has also mentioned that Spurs will face stiff competition from the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in pursuit of the Liga NOS wonderkid at the end of this campaign.
The Daily Telegraph has also claimed that the North London outfit had sent scouts to catch Jota in action for Benfica during their 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Europa League last week. The Lisboa born talent joined the Portuguese club at a very young age before battling his way up their youth ranks until he got a chance to feature for their ‘B’ team back in 2016.
The 19-year-old finally managed to break into Bruno Lage’s first-team earlier this year and has made three appearances for them thus far. He is yet to prove his worth at the senior level, but there is no doubt that Jota has massive potential and could be nurtured into a world-class prospect in a few years.
Mauricio Pochettino could be the ideal manager to get the best out of him as the Argentine boss has built a reputation for developing young players into first-team stars during his time at Spurs. The recent emergence of Davinson Sanchez, Oliver Skipp, Harry Winks and Dele Alli serves as proof that Pochettino could be the perfect fit for the Benfica starlet.
Jota has been very productive during his time with Benfica’s ‘B’ side in the Portuguese second division. He has scored six goals while creating seven assists in 17 league matches for them this season.
The acquisition of Jota will undoubtedly bolster Pochettini’s attacking options in the future. However, for now, he is still quite raw and might not get enough game time at White Hart Lane. Hence, the best move for the teenager would be to stay with his boyhood club for the time being as he is still not ready to make the jump to the highest level.
As far as Tottenham are concerned, acquiring the best young talents in Europe remains a priority as they look to build for the future. So the addition of Jota will only help them take another step towards long-term success under Pochettino.
