Tete: How £17m-rated Celtic target could be tailor-made replacement for Jota

With Carl Starfelt’s imminent departure for La Liga side Celta Vigo expected to be announced shortly, Rodgers has already confirmed he will dip into the market to ensure they are well covered in the central defensive area going forward.

New signing Maik Nawrocki has created a positive early impression on supporters after slotting in seamlessly to partner Cameron Carter-Vickers in Saturday’s opening-day 4-2 victory over Ross County at Parkhead. With Stephen Welsh also reportedly heading towards the exit door, that leaves Rodgers with only Yuki Kobayashi and Liam Scales to call on as recognised out-and-out centre-backs.

Rodgers will undoubtedly have his own ideas and his own targets in mind. While that will be a priority position for the Northern Irishman to rectify, he might also considering adding to his options on the wing.

The sudden exit of rising star Jota, who completed a life-changing £25million transfer to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad, came as a bitter blow to fans considering the Portuguese wide man had only 12 months earlier moved to Glasgow’s East End on a permanent basis after calling time on his lenghty stint at Benfica.

That leaves the Hoops with new signings Marco Tilio, Yang Hyun-jun, Liel Abada, Daizen Maeda and Sead Haksabanovic - the latter two both preferring to play off the left-hand side. The returning Mikey Johnston would have entered the equation as well had he not sustained an injury in pre-season.

On the face of it Celtic looked to be well covered on either flank. Time will tell if they have found a possible replacement for Jota, who was a nailed on starter over the past couple of seasons and played a leading role in all of the club’s successes during Postecoglou’s two-year reign.

However, his departure certainly weakens the team. Yes, Tilio and Yang have been brought in from Melbourne City and Gangwon respectively, but it remains unclear if either player is truly ready to become a regular first-team starter.

With the Champions League group stage fixtures on the horizon, Celtic need someone proven at the highest level to take over the mantle from Jota in the starting line-up - and 23-year-old Brazilian Tete could be that man.

Having already proved himself in Europe with Lyon and most recently Shakhtar Donetsk, the exciting playmaker has been linked with a move to Celtic after announcing he would NOT be returning to the Ukrainian champions due the the ongoing war with Russia, despite remaining under contract until the end of the year.

A player whose skill-set is already common knowledge to Brendan Rodgers, having previously lured him to Leicester City on loan for a few months, Tete could be the man to light up Celtic Park on the big European nights.

Supporters will rightly argue that his six-month spell in the English Premier League during the second half of last season was not a success, but it’s clear he possess a lot of quality attributes. The Brazil Under-23 international - called up to the senior national team in 2018 for the first time - scored on his debut against Aston Villa but it was his all-round attacking game, his determination to take defenders on and his willingness to get a shot on target that promised much.

That standout performance offered plenty of encouragement, but he would find the physicality of English football, the overall pace of the game and having less time on the ball more challenging from then on.

Of course, those would be aspects of his game that will need adapting if he was to join Celtic. Would he be able to shrug off opponents when he finds himself immediately under pressure when in possession? Only Brendan Rodgers and his coaching staff will know the answer to that question.

One thing is for sure, Tete is capable of playing centrally or out wide and video footage would suggest he loves to surge forward and get in behind the opposition defence. But Celtic are not the only club interested in signing him. Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are also after his signature.

With a transfer value of around €20 million (£17m), Tete is expected to be available for a bargain fee this summer, with the player pushing to leave Shakhtar this summer. Whether Celtic can finalise a deal to bring him to Glasgow, we’ll soon find out.