Why Notts County may have the last laugh over Alassana Jatta sale | OneFootball

With Alassana Jatta struggling at Casa Pia and Luka Smyth thriving at Meadow Lane, Notts County may feel they have got the better end of the deal.

It has been a strong start to life in League One for Notts County following their promotion from League Two.

After returning to League One for the first time in 11 years, Notts County have made an impressive start to the season, winning one and drawing three of their opening four games, including picking up points against two of the promotion favourites, Leicester City and Luton Town.

Notts County suffer big Alassana Jatta transfer blow amid summer rebuild

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Given that Notts County were tipped to be involved in a relegation battle this season, some may be surprised by how well they have adapted to League One, but head coach Martin Paterson will be keen to prove the doubters wrong once again after leading the club to promotion last term.

Much of the pre-season pessimism about the Magpies was due to their summer transfer business, with many feeling that the East Midlands outfit did not bring in enough quality to compete in the third tier.

Notts largely focused their recruitment on players who had excelled in League Two last season, with the likes of James Gibbons, Matt Baker, Rosaire Longelo, Max Sanders and Jack Evans arriving at Meadow Lane, while they also brought Callum Roberts back for a second spell from National League side Scunthorpe United.

The Magpies turned to the overseas market as they signed Australian striker Luka Smyth from Finnish side VPS, and they also secured loan deals for a number of players from higher divisions, including Rory Finneran, Ollie Cooper and Daniel Kanu.

However, it was perhaps the outgoings that caused the most alarm among the Notts fanbase, with influential winger Jodi Jones completing a move to fellow newly-promoted League One side Bromley, while star striker Alassana Jatta departed for Portuguese outfit Casa Pia.

Alassana Jatta makes nightmare Casa Pia start after Notts County exit

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Jatta was a near total unknown when he joined Notts County from Danish side Viborg for a fee of £100,000 in February 2024, but he quickly made a name for himself.

The 27-year-old scored 22 goals in all competitions in the 2024-25 season, but his campaign ended in frustration as he was sent off in the first leg of the play-off semi-final against AFC Wimbledon, with the Magpies eventually losing the tie 2-0 on aggregate.

Jatta enjoyed another productive campaign last season as he netted a total of 16 goals, and he was able to help Notts to promotion this time around, with his goal opening the scoring in the 3-0 victory over Salford City in the play-off final at Wembley in May.

However, that would prove to be Jatta's final appearance in a Magpies shirt as, after a summer of speculation over his future that included rumours about a surprise switch to Salford, he completed his move to Casa Pia in July, bringing a successful two-and-a-half year spell at Meadow Lane to an end.

The opportunity to play in the Portuguese top flight was understandably too good to turn down for Jatta, but he has endured a disastrous start to life at Casa Pia, who have lost all of their first four games of the season, failing to score a single goal and conceding 11 in the process.

Jatta has at least started the last two games after coming on as a substitute in the opening two matches, but with his new employers looking set for a season of struggle, his dream move may quickly turn into a nightmare.

Notts County may have struck gold with Luka Smyth deal after Alassana Jatta sale

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Jatta was not the only striker to depart Notts County this summer, with Matthew Dennis joining fellow League One side Burton Albion after scoring 14 goals in 45 appearances during his one-year stint at Meadow Lane.

The Magpies brought in two new strikers to replace the outgoing pair, but the first of those additions certainly raised eyebrows, with Emile Acquah arriving from Dundee after a disappointing loan spell at Harrogate Town, where he failed to score in 13 appearances as Simon Weaver's side were relegated from League Two.

Smyth was the second striker recruited by Notts this summer, with the 22-year-old making the move from VPS for a reported fee of just €150,000 (around £125,000) after scoring 11 goals and providing four assists in 31 appearances for the Finnish top flight side.

After failing to score in his first two games for the Magpies, Smyth opened his account when he netted the equaliser against Burton on Saturday before winning and subsequently converting the penalty that secured a first victory of the season for Paterson's men.

While Smyth is still in the early stages of his Meadow Lane career, he has certainly shown plenty of promise in recent weeks, and Notts supporters may already be forgetting about their former talisman Jatta.

It is unclear how much Casa Pia paid for Jatta, but given that Danish club Horsens failed with a bid of €500,000 (around £425,000) plus bonuses earlier in the summer, the transfer fee would surely have been higher than that figure.

After the Magpies signed Smyth to replace Jatta for a fraction of the fee received from his sale, they may soon feel that they got the better end of the deal if the Australian can maintain his exciting initial form.