Celtic were hit with a pretty devastating blow at the start of this month when it was confirmed that the knee injury sustained by Jota is going to keep him out for the best part of a year.
The Hoops winger hobbled off during the first half of the 5-0 win over Dundee United at Tannadice, a result that won the Scottish Premiership title, with a knee injury.
Brendan Rodgers then confirmed that the Portuguese forward could be out for up to nine months with a cruciate ligament injury, which means that the attacker is unlikely to be fit for the start of next season.
Based on that timeline, there is a real chance that Jota will not play for Celtic again in 2025, with a return in the first couple of months of 2026 currently being projected, and that could force the club’s hand in the summer transfer window.
The Scottish giants are set to be without a key wide attacker for a huge chunk of the 2025/26 campaign, which could result in them swooping for another winger in the coming months.
With this in mind, we have taken a look at three potential signings the Hoops could make to replace Jota until he returns from his long-term injury.
1 Tyrhys Dolan
Firstly, Blackburn Rovers dynamo Tyrhys Dolan is an intriguing option for the Scottish giants because he is set to be out of contract at the end of June, and would be available as a free agent.
Celtic are reportedly interested in a bargain swoop to sign the 23-year-old star from the English Championship side and it is easy to see why he has emerged as an attractive target for the club.
As well as potentially being a cost-effective signing due to his contract situation at Ewood Park, Dolan is also an ideal fit for Celtic from a footballing perspective, because he can comfortably play on the right wing, on the left wing, as a centre-forward, or as an attacking midfielder, with at least 26 appearances in his career in each position.
This means that Rodgers could use him on either flank, as he did with Jota when the winger was available, which makes him a like-for-like replacement for the former Rennes man in that sense.
Appearances
44
Goals
7
Conversion rate
14%
Big chances created
7
Key passes
44
Assists
6
As you can see in the table above, Dolan also showed signs of promise in a midtable Blackburn team in the Championship, delivering 14 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in a team that did not finish inside the top six in the division.
The 23-year-old star has yet to prove that he can deliver goals and assists consistently, though, so there is still a question mark over whether or not his output would improve if he played in a better team.
2 Kwame Poku
Sticking with the lower leagues in England, Peterborough United winger Kwame Poku is another talented young prospect who has been linked with a move to Parkhead this summer.
The Hoops have reportedly sent scouts to watch the Ghana international in action this season, and he could be available for a compensation fee when his contract with the Posh expires this summer.
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Poku played in a lower division than Dolan, in League One, but did showcase his ability to deliver consistent quality in the final third as part of a team that was chasing promotion to the second tier.
The 24-year-old magician ended the season with a return of 12 goals, nine ‘big chances’ created, and eight assists in 27 matches in the league for Peterborough, whilst predominantly playing on the right flank.
Whilst he has shown promise as a winger who can deliver quality on a regular basis, Poku would not be a like-for-like replacement for Jota because he is a left-footed attacker who typically plays on the opposite flank.
This means that there could be better options out there to directly replace Jota, and one of those options could come from further afield, in Norway specifically.
3 Sondre Orjasaeter
Celtic reportedly had an offer turned down for Sarpsborg forward Sondre Orjasaeter in the January transfer window, as the Norwegian side were looking for a fee of £7m for the winger.
The 21-year-old star, once dubbed an “artist” by Havard Flo, could be the perfect replacement for Jota because of his age, his style of play, and his quality.
Whilst he is comfortably the most expensive player on this list, as the other two options are out of contract this summer, Orjasaeter could be worth the expense for the Scottish giants.
Stylistically, the Norwegian sensation would be an ideal fit for the Hoops because he is a right-footed attacker who predominantly plays on the left flank, just as Jota does.
Appearances
28
7
Goals
5
1
Big chances missed
5
2
Big chances created
12
7
Key passes per game
1.9
2.0
Assists
5
2
Dribbles completed per game
2.4
2.7
As you can see in the table above, Orjasaeter has caught the eye with his performances for Sarpsborg in the Eliteserien since the start of the 2024 campaign, with six goals and 19 ‘big chances’ created in 35 appearances.
This shows that he has the ability to make a significant impact at the top end of the pitch, despite only being 21, from a left wing position, which is another reason why he could be an ideal signing to replace Jota this summer for Rodgers.
Orjasaeter, of course, is unproven in British football, unlike Dolan and Poku, and that is one thing that goes against him in this list, but the Hoops could gamble on his performances for Sarpsborg translating well to Scottish football, making him the dream signing to fill that left wing position.
It will now be interesting to see if Celtic go in for any of these three players, given that they are all reported to be of interest, or if they decide to look elsewhere to bolster their wide options.
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