"It will be unsettling for you guys, you’ll have favourite players, but we need to be wise."

That was the statement uttered by then-manager Ange Postecoglou at last year's AGM, making it clear that fans should not get attached to anyone at Celtic. Josip Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumkais' departures not long after these comments proved they were not empty words.

And with Jota's move to Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad confirmed, supporters will once again have to get to grips with losing a player they have grown to love. While the Postecoglou era has ended at Parkhead, the player-trading model that the club employ is very much alive and well.

Celtic have operated this way in the transfer market for several years, buying players for lesser fees, or sometimes nothing at all, and then selling them on for a significant profit. An obvious example of this strategy was Moussa Dembele joining Lyon for £19million after arriving in Glasgow on a free transfer, with the club only having to play £500k compensation to Fulham for his services.

It is an effective way for the Scottish champions to do business in the current market. While Benfica did command a significant fee for Celtic to land Jota's services, a reported £6.4million, the fact the Hoops moved him on for upwards of £25million is proof, once again, that the plan is working.

Fans obviously want the club to keep their best players for as long as possible but it is important for Celtic that they move individuals on when they are at their maximum value and Jota fits that exact bill. With four years left on his deal and with a team from the money-spinning Saudi Arabian league coming calling, value-wise, it was the ideal time for him to leave the club.

Another aspect of the player trading model is the finances it frees up for the club to spend. With Brendan Rodgers' arrival promising heavy spending in the transfer window, the money for Jota will only add to this.

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As the 50-year-old said at his recent unveiling as boss for the second time: "From our perspective the strategy has always been clear and that’s to be a world-class football club in whatever we do. We want to dominate in Scotland, we want to compete in the Champions League and that’s been clearly stated for many, many years.

"So there is no change in that regard. What we have done is to try and continuously improve as a football club and to invest. We have got a sustainable model, a self-financing model so we invest when we can for today, tomorrow and for the long-term. We all want the same thing, which is to win."

CEO Michael Nicholson also made reference to the transfer model in the same press conference, saying: "We have invested in the squad over the last couple of years and have a very young and hungry squad. We profiled managers through the process that we thought could take us on and Brendan was the stand-out candidate. Our priority was to bring Brendan back to Celtic and we are delighted to do so.

The promise of trying to get Celtic up to the level of competing in Europe is one that can only be achieved by the club continuing to employ a successful transfer strategy and players like Jota moving on plays a part in that.

It also allows Celtic to remain clear of Rangers and the rest of Scottish football. That may sound like strange logic, weakening the team to strengthen, but hear me out. The money recouped from transfers is much more than any other club in the SPFL can aspire to. Celtic have a track record of sales and players doing well at their new clubs. It makes them an attractive seller and the proceeds from this provides a financial buffer to maintain the gap domestically while also trying to improve on the European stage.

Domestic dominance, outside of the 2020-21 campaign, has been the norm for Celtic in recent seasons and the current financial situation makes this even more likely going forward. Rangers selling defender Calvin Bassey to Ajax for £19million plus add-ons was hailed as an excellent bit of business for the Ibrox side and remains their record fee for a player. With Celtic set to sell at least one player, potentially two if Reo Hatate also makes the move to Saudi Arabia, for significantly more than that fee, they should be able to put an even bigger distance between themselves and Rangers.

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The club has plenty of potentially lucrative assets at their disposal, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyogo Furuhashi and Alistair Johnston, just to name a few, which should put them in a situation where they are continuing to build from a position of strength.

Knowing when to let go at the right time is an important factor of football and at the moment, Postecoglou's words last year appear to be ringing true as Celtic seem to be striking this balance when it comes to their player trading model.