Celtic have a "prolific" star out on loan who could return & surpass Jota

Will Celtic secure another strong end to this season?

On Saturday, the Hoops actually suffered just their second Premiership defeat of the season, Brendan Rodgers‘ side surprisingly beaten 2-1 by Hibernian at Easter Road.

Nevertheless, the Bhoys remain 13 points clear at the top of the Premiership, with only 11 matches still to play, ahead of Aberdeen’s visit to Parkhead on Tuesday night.

This team is targeting a sixth treble in nine seasons, but they could be even stronger next season if and when a highly-rated winger returns from his loan spell down under.

Jota’s return to Celtic

Jota’s return to Celtic in January brought with it much fanfare, rejoining the club from Stade Rennais for a reported fee of £8m, having only left to join Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League for £25m, a joint-club-record, 18 months earlier.

Less than half an hour into his second Celtic debut, the Portuguese winger marked his return by scoring against Motherwell at Fir Park, bursting into tears during his celebration, so delighted to be back “home” having endured, as he put it afterwards, countless “difficult moments” since his departure.

Meantime, following the Hoops’ 6-0 hammering of Dundee, Jota exclaimed that he was “delighted” to be back at Celtic Park.

That said, prior to the first leg against Bayern Munich, Rodgers revealed to TNT Sports that the winger “is not quite at the physical level yet”, beginning as a substitute for that Champions League tie, before then starting the draw in Bavaria six nights later.

Colloquially known as the ‘superstar from Portugal’, Jota is unquestionably a fans’ favourite, but could he face fresh competition for his place next season, from a player currently impressing out on loan?

Celtic loanee starring down under

Back in June 2023, Celtic signed winger Marco Tilio for a reported £1.5m from Melbourne City.

At the time, it was the highest fee ever paid for an A-League player, with Aussie Scout on Twitter labelling him a ‘prolific goalscorer’, pointing in the direction of this being an exciting addition.

However, during his first six months in Glasgow, Tilio made just two appearances, handed brief cameo appearances off the bench against Motherwell and Hibs, so rejoined Melbourne City on loan a year ago, remaining there for this season too.

In an interview with ESPN, Tilio admitted this was the “toughest year” of his career, describing his move to Celtic as a “dream” but admitting “pretty much from there, everything didn’t fall into place… it was taken away from me through injuries.”

Well, so far this season, the 23-year-old has made just seven appearances for the Sky Blues due to a hamstring injury, but did score a sublime opener during Saturday’s Melbourne derby, a match that ended 2-2.

So, let’s assess how he and Jota compare.

As the table shows, Jota does come out on top for most metrics, albeit Tilio’s numbers in terms of shots on target percentage, big chances created and dribble success percentage are especially impressive considering he’s played fewer minutes.

He is also currently performing at a comparable level to the SPFL; Global Football Rankings believe the Scottish Premiership to be the 43rd strongest league in the world, while the A-League ranks at 52nd.

So, there is little doubting Tilio’s talent and, if he is able to stay fit, he can certainly be an asset to Rodgers’ squad, potentially rivalling Jota upon his return.

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