New Aston Villa signing Jota has said that he is excited about reuniting with Aston Villa boss Dean Smith.
The Midlands club confirmed on Wednesday that Jota had joined on a two-year deal from Birmingham City, with the Spaniard having worked with Smith while the pair were at Brentford.
Speaking in an interview published on the club’s Twitter account, Jota said that he is looking forward to working with a coach who knows him well.
“When he called me, I know he likes me a lot, I know what kind of football he likes to play and he knows I like the way he plays too” Jota said.
“I’m happy to be back with him, because I think at Brentford it was a good time for us and it could be another good year here with him and his staff.”
"I can't wait to be in the #PL with this club." ?@KingJota speaks for the first time as an #AVFC player.#PartOfThePride pic.twitter.com/QZPyUsstSC
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) June 5, 2019
OPINION
There have been rumblings all week that this move could happen, and Villa fans will surely be delighted that the club have got it over the line. It is a deal which makes absolute sense for Villa to have secured, not least because of the relationship that Smith and Jota have. This understanding will surely be beneficial for all parties at Villa. It will mean that the player himself will not have to worry about adapting to a new manager and a whole new way of thinking. While some things may have changed since Smith left Brentford, his philosophies will largely be the same. Going on from that, it will be easy for Jota to fit into the manager’s style of play, and the only thing the 27-year-old will have to worry about is adapting to the Premier League – and that is a tough ask for most players. Overall, though, this is a deal which should get all Villa fans excited.