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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
When Jota made the short journey across the Midlands from Birmingham to Aston Villa it’s unlikely much attention will have been paid to the signing.
On the face of it, it looked a rather questionable addition. The Villans had just been promoted to the Premier League yet they were sat with a fresh face who had endured an inconsistent two years.
In 2018/19, he scored just three goals but claimed 11 assists. The latter statistic is a fine glimpse of what he can offer to a Villa side who lacked creativity on the flanks.
Yet, after moving from Brentford to the Blues, he scored only five times and laid on two assists in 2017/18.
It was a poor return from the Spaniard who’d been a superb player for the Bees, netting double figures in two of the seasons he had been in London.
Aston Villa broke their transfer record this summer to land Wesley for £22m and threw £20m at Tyrone Mings as well.
Jota’s arrival, therefore, is somewhat understated but his pre-season showings provide evidence that he could make the greatest impact of any. One which after costing £4m, would be rather unexpected.
Arguably, the 5 foot 11 wide man is the most in-form player of all of Villa’s new players and scored a brace last week against Walsall. The opposition may have been weaker but he was a constant menace down the right-hand side, linking up well with Jack Grealish.
It’s that combination play that could spark plenty of admirers this term but with Anwar El Ghazi and Trezeguet also signing, you’d be forgiven for thinking he’d be bumped down the pecking order.
Considering their options, however, he could be a real wildcard for Dean Smith.
It feels unlikely that Jota will be expected to make huge headway in the Premier League but the winger himself has proven he’s confident, not least in remarks he made to Express & Star.
Jota told the publication: “I’m very happy with Villa’s team principles, to take the ball, work with it, because that’s my favourite style to play. I feel more comfortable with this because the team always want to play that style.”
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That combined with his pre-season form should be enough to gather excitement around the type of player he could turn into ahead of the upcoming season.
Villa have game-changing individuals in Grealish and John McGinn, but Jota’s canny nature makes him another one to watch.
He admits that he hopes to get more space in the top-flight next term, something that should play into his hands wonderfully well.
Last season, he played 2.1 key passes per game and if he finds more time and form, that might just get even higher at Villa.
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