One to Watch – Jota

Name: Jota
Date of Birth: 16/06/1991
Previous Clubs: Celta Vigo; Real Madrid Castilla (L); Eibar (L); Brentford; Eibar (L).
Appearances: 133 (33)

While not yet confirmed, Brentford could be without 15-goal top scorer Lasse Vibe when QPR make the short trip to Griffin Park this weekend, after the Bees boss Dean Smith revealed the Danish striker has not trained this week owing to an ankle injury picked up during Monday`s 1-1 draw away at Barnsley.

With six goals in his last six league matches, and goals in each of his previous three outings at home, Vibe has been in fine form since the turn of the year having found the net 13 times since mid-January, so his absence would be a major boost for Rangers in their attempt to end a run of five successive defeats.

They will however have to deal with another player in sparkling form in the shape of attacking midfielder Jota, who has notched 10 goals and provided four assists in 18 games for the Bees since returning in January from a spell in La Liga with Eibar, with whom he had been 12 months into an 18-month loan deal.

The Spaniard has fitted seamlessly back into life in West London following his temporary departure last year, and was nominated for February`s Player of the Month, during which he bagged five goals, including a hat-trick in a 4-2 home win over Rotherham, only to lose out on the award to Preston`s Aiden McGeady.

He recently turned in a Man of the Match performance in his side`s last fixture on home soil, netting a brace in an emphatic 4-0 win against Derby last Friday, and with the Rangers defence recording just one clean sheet since mid-October, they will have a difficult task on their hands in keeping Jota at bay.

The 25-year old began his career with Celta Vigo, making his debut in the final few minutes of a Spanish Segunda match against Barcelona B in January 2011, and would make a further three appearances for the first team before the end of that season, the only times he would feature during his spell at the club.

A loan spell with Real Madrid Castilla followed for the entire 2012/2013 season, who were also in the Spanish second division, which yielded just three appearances for Jota, all from the bench, before he gained his first real taste of first-team football the following campaign as he moved on loan to Eibar.

It turned out to be a hugely successful year for both the club and the player, as Jota formed a key part of the side that won promotion to La Liga by winning the league title, as he scored 12 goals along the way, including the goal that clinched promotion for the club, the only strike in a 1-0 victory at home to Alaves.

His form that season saw Brentford move to secure his services on a three-year deal from Celta Vigo ahead of the 2014/2015 campaign, and he hit the ground running in his first year in England, scoring 11 times as the Bees made it to the play-offs, before losing in both semi-final legs against Middlesbrough.

He was dealt a blow at the start of last season as an injury he picked up on the opening day kept him out of action for the first four months, and after returning the following December to feature a further five times, he moved back to Eibar on an 18-month loan deal in January 2016, shortly after signing a contract extension with Brentford.

That extension sees his current deal at the club expire at the end of the 2017/2018 season, with his temporary move back to his home country cited as due to personal issues, but Brentford had the option to end his spell six months early, which they duly exercised by recalling him back to the club in January.