Jota could finally be set for a second chance at Al-Ittihad following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo.
The former Celtic ace moved from Glasgow to Saudi Arabia in June this year. He joined the Pro League champions for a fee of around £25m and gladly accepted the chance to earn life-changing money.
However, the Portuguese winger's switch to the Middle East has not played out the way he would've envisaged after helping the Hoops to the treble last term.
He was left out of the club's domestic squad, with rules permitting only eight foreign players per club. Al-Ittihad had too many within their ranks, so Jota was left on the sidelines. He cannot feature in any Pro League matches until January at the earliest when squad lists can be reviewed.
It was reported at the time of his slide out of the side that he would seek a loan move away from the club or even a mutual termination of his contract.
However, with ex-Tottenham boss Espirito Santo now away from Al-Ittihad, Jota's future could still lie there if he can make an impression on the new manager.
Nuno, 49, took over at Al-Ittihad in July 2022 and guided them to last season's title. This season though, they have only won six of 12 league games this season and suffered a 2-0 defeat by Air Force Club of Iraq in the Asian Champions League on Monday.
Assistant coach Hassan Khalifa will take interim charge of the team.
In a statement on X, Al-Ittihad said: "The club has announced the end of its contract with Portuguese coach Nuno Santo.
"This decision comes after a comprehensive technical evaluation of the past phase during which he was in charge of coaching the first football team."
It has been suggested that Nuno's strained relationship with star man Karim Benzema formed part of the club's decision to part company with him.
