He was as gifted as Portugal now produces in bunches. Today he is a player in search of playing time, recovery and, above all, benchmarks. Considered one of the flagship recruits of Stade Rennais, João Filipe, known as “Jota”, only played a few minutes with the Breton club, the fault of muscular problems and an obvious delay on the physical level.
It must be said that the Portuguese has not really been helped lately. A little over a year ago, after two very successful seasons at Celtic, the winger was transferred to Al-Ittihad (a club where Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté play in particular). Ange Postecoglou, who trained and loved him in Glasgow, would have loved to take him in his suitcases to Tottenham.
But, surprisingly, Jota chose to join the very profitable Saudi League, under the influence of his representatives from Gestifute, a company of the all-powerful agent Jorge Mendes. A salary approaching 10 million per year, net of taxes, inevitably helped to convince him. And with a transfer fee of around 29 million euros, Celtic decided to let their double-double man slip away (11 goals and 10 assists in 2022-2023).
In Portugal, Jorge Mendes or nothing
Of this thirty million euros, 30% went directly into the coffers of SL Benfica, since it was under these terms that the Glasgow club managed to recruit the player it had initially obtained on loan . The agreement was concluded by intermediaries, well paid, and all controlled by Jorge Mendes.
Jorge Mendes had a considerable influence in Jota’s trajectory
Credit: Quentin Guichard
A few years earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo’s former agent had easily become Jota’s representative. In Portugal, its influence is such, and its system so developed, that few talents escape it. And since the young Lisbon native had successively won the Euro U17 and U19…
In 2018-2019, under pressure from his father, Jota tried to distance himself from the most powerful agent in the world. Dissatisfied with his playing time and his remuneration, a little jealous of the treatment reserved for João Félix – who had become the darling of the SLB in a few months – the winger had approached Carlos Gonçalves, boss of the ProEleven agency and rival, if there really is one, from Jorge Mendes on Portuguese territory.
In a few months, Jota’s new entourage had calmed relations with the Benfiquista management, even to the point of finding common ground around an interesting contract extension. But it was ultimately never signed… until Jorge Mendes returned to the game. In order not to jeopardize its chances of obtaining a significant capital gain on the player’s future transfer, Benfica preferred complete the negotiations around the very famous businessman. Take the risk of upsetting the one who defines himself as the “Portuguese football firefighter“would have been madness…
In Saudi Arabia, the grand bazaar
From a strictly financial point of view, it is always more interesting to chat with Mendes. In addition to having an arm-length “portfolio” of players, the agent also has a napkin ring in many big clubs. And it is, above all, the first relay when a major world power wishes to stick its nose into football. Hulk, Garay, Danny or Bruno Alves in Russia, it was him. The Chinese consortium Fosun and its arrival in Wolverhampton, it was him too.
“We have to stop making fun of Genesio”
The businessman logically whispered in the ear of Saudi Arabia, since he quickly placed his favorite client there (his very first, in fact), coach Nuno Espirito Santo, at Al-Ittihad . Chance or coincidence, it is therefore also this club which made Jota the biggest sale in the history of Celtic*… before taking several months to integrate him into the squad.
Indeed, when the Portuguese arrived, Al-Ittihad already had eight non-community players and could therefore not, legally, register a ninth. Only a few weeks after completing the transfer, the club therefore considered an internal turmoil, in which neither the player nor his representatives had a say. A first loan to Al-Shabab, another Saudi team, was first considered. A second was established with Al-Ettifaq. But the documents were not sent to the FIFA regulatory body in time. And the operation fell through.
Multi-cushion billiard shot
Jota therefore had to wait several months without playing in the league. Only the arrival of a local goalkeeper, which led to the sidelining of a Brazilian goalkeeper, allowed him to play the second part of the season, without much success. After this strange Saudi parenthesis, the Portuguese quickly wanted to return to European football. And for this, Jorge Mendes implemented one of those multi-cushion billiard shots that he is accustomed to.
“Luis Enrique’s condescension is unbearable”
Mandated by Paris Saint-Germain to clean up their undesirables, the agent sent Renato Sanches to Benfica in order to facilitate the transfer, in the other direction, of João Neves. Manuel Ugarte was exfiltrated to Manchester United and Danilo Pereira to… Al-Ittihad, to free Jota. Rennes felt the blow and tried its luck through its new sporting director, Frederic Massara who, when he was officiating at Milan, had negotiated on numerous occasions with Jorge Mendes.
The Lusitanian representative, who first tried to send the winger to England, finally decided to facilitate his transfer to SRFC. “Psometimes things don’t turn out the way we imaginesummed up the player during his presentation, about his time in Saudi Arabia. It happened to me as it can happen to anyone. I’m at peace with that, because life goes on. I just need to be myself, happy.” In Rennes, here it comes out of the Gestifute washing machine. For at least a few months.
*Overtaken by Matt O’Riley, who left for Brighton for 29.5 million euros this summer.
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