Benfica willing to let top talent João 'Jota' Filipe move to England on loan
One of Benfica’s most talented young players could be set to move to the English Premier League, with Benfica looking at the possibility of loaning out Joao ‘Jota’ Filipe in the January window.
Forward Jota, who can play on either flank or as a second striker, is one of the most highly regarded youth players to come out of Benfica’s highly illustrious academy, but he has been unable to cement a place in Benfica’s first team.
The 20-year old Portugal U21 international has constantly impressed for his country, his dazzling trickery and dribbling ability leading Portugal to both the U17 and U19 European Championship titles in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
In both competitions, Jota was instrumental, finishing as the top scorer in the U19 Euros in 2018, chipping in with 5 goals. His impact in the final against Italy was particularly sensational, where he chipped in with 2 goal and 2 assists as Portugal triumphed over their opponents in a 4-3 thriller.
He didn’t have quite the same goalscoring prowess in the U17 tournament two years earlier, but was still a regular for Portugal, starting every single one of Portugal’s 6 matches in the competition.
He also consistently impressed for both the Benfica youth team and Benfica B over his time with each respective squad, but has so far struggled with the step up to Benfica’s senior team, used incredibly sparingly by Bruno Lage who clearly feels the skilful winger is still not ready for regular game time with Benfica.
His talent, however, is undeniable, and he, alongside Joao Felix, is widely regarded as potentially Benfica’s biggest asset for the future.
Nevertheless, the big news is that Jota may well be moving away from Benfica this in an attempt to revitalise his career and ensure that his immense talents don’t go to waste.
It is understood that Benfica are willing to loan him out for an 18-month period, as Portuguese news channel TVI reported, and would prefer him to go to an English club to show his capabilities on the biggest possible stage.
The move would see him follow in the footsteps of Gedson Fernandes, who is on the brink of completing an 18-month loan move to last season’s Champions League finalists Tottenham Hotspur, who are now managed by Jose Mourinho.
Interest in Jota has been incredibly widespread for years now, and despite his inability to make a significant impact at Benfica despite all the expectation surrounding him, there are still plenty of suitors and admirers in English football who would be willing to give him a chance.
It is also thought that Benfica may be interested in allowign for an option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the loan deal.
While some may be cautious about the idea of bringing in a player struggling to make an impact at Benfica, it’s worth knowing that he wouldn’t be the first player to struggle for game time in Portugal before becoming a star abroad. Raul Jimenez, for example, was a supersub at Benfica, and is now a highly-sought after figure due to his efforts at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Luca Jovic also failed to make any impression at Benfica, but went on to be a star at Eintracht Frankfurt, earning him an illustrious move to Real Madrid last summer. While the likes of Willy Boly and Ruben Neves struggled for minutes at FC Porto, but are now regulars for Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves - and are again two highly regarded figures in the global game.
Jota’s lack of game time therefore shouldn’t prevent him from going on to have a stellar career - which most fans of Portuguese football have been expecting for years now. Here’s what we said about Joao Filipe in an article written back in 2018:
“As Benfica fans know so well, Filipe is most certainly one of the stars of the future, not just domestically, not just for the national team, but in all of world football. It's not so much a question of if he will leave Benfica, but, quite depressingly for fans of the Lisbon giants, when. The sad truth of the matter is that Filipe's years at Benfica are most certainly numbered. Having seen so much talent leave the Estadio da Luz well before they reach their peak level, Filipe will simply be the latest in a long line to outgrow the Portuguese league and want to test himself amongst the very best in Europe.
Indeed, more often than not (at the U19 European Championship), he looked streets ahead of the rest of his competitors, in a league of his own as he performed at a level well beyond what his years would suggest. Tenacious, determined, skilful, quick, technically-gifted, an eye for goal - he quite literally does, with minimal exaggeration, have it all, and will one day, in the not-too-distant future, become a household name to football fans all across Europe as his stock and reputation inevitably rise together in perfect harmony in the coming seasons as his career at club level is taken to an entirely different level.
His undoubted natural talent and ability is one thing, but what also makes Filipe so impressive is that he seems to knows exactly how to utilise his attributes in the most effective way possible, ensuring his impact on every game is both easily identifiable and admirable. Running at defenders for fun, drifting across the front line, cutting inside - his decision-making and work ethic are vital in his game, separating him from the rest of the field and ensuring he is easily noticeable in every match he plays.”
