Jota confirms he will be playing in La Liga next season, after Villa exit

Jota has confirmed the identity of his new club after the Spaniard was released by Aston Villa just 12 months after completing a permanent move to the club from Dean Smith’s former side Brentford – signing for La Liga side Alaves.

Jota, 29, was considered a decent addition following Villa’s promotion to the Premier League last summer. He scored 23 goals and created 11 more in 78 Brentford outings, before impressing at Birmingham City.

It convinced Villa to move – securing the playmaker with a swap deal that saw Gary Gardner leave. However, last season, Jota managed just 14 appearances in all competitions, scoring just once.

This season, Jota managed two substitute appearances for Villa in the Carabao Cup but following the additions of Ross Barkley on loan from Chelsea and Bertrand Traore from Chelsea – Jota has decided to leave.

It saw Villa confirm the unusual decision to cancel Jota’s contract, despite the player penning a two-year £25,000-a-week (Spotrac) deal just over a year ago. Now, Jota has confirmed he will be joining top-tier Spanish outfit Alaves.

Amid reports from Spain, he confirmed the news on his Instagram page – where he has signed a 12-month contract which will expire next June. He will link up with ex-Newcastle man Joselu, and former Arsenal ace Lucas Perez.