Jota itching to shut THAT Celtic exit claim up as het-up star makes clear what he really wants in Saudi

Winger Jota has insisted he is in Saudi Arabia to win titles after finally kickstarting his Al-Ittihad career - as he looked to shut down one criticism over his Celtic exit.

The 24-year-old has finally found his feet in the Middle East following his £25m departure from the Scottish Premiership - having initially not been registered on the list of foreign players allowed in the Saudi Pro League league squad. That limited Jota to cameos in cup competitions and occasional Asian Champions League appearances - but he has been handed a second chance by boss Marcelo Gallardo.

Jota netted against Al-Fateh on Saturday in what was his second goal since leaving Celtic Park last summer having emerged from cold storage in recent weeks. And during his post-match debrief, the wide man told the Saudi fans that he was determined to bring titles to Jeddah - despite criticism at the time of his Celtic exit that he had only made the move to the Pro League for financial reasons.

He told Saudi outlet SSC: “Today’s victory was very important for us, especially before the international break. Now we must focus and work more, to come back stronger in the upcoming matches after the break ends. The thing that I can promise the fans in the coming period is that we will give everything we have on the field. Al-Ittihad is a big club and always, of course, the ambition is to win and win titles. We were good today and up to the responsibility.”

However, if he is to lift the title with the defending Saudi champions this term he faces a gargantuan task. As it stands they trail leaders Al-Hilal by 25 points and sit in fourth spot.