Some careers climb in a straight line. Jonny Otto's has been rebuilt more than once. He was a Celta academy kid, then a Premier League regular, then a player whose knees and a bad ending at Wolves made his future look uncertain. Since then he has won a league title in Greece and returned to La Liga with Deportivo Alavés. He turned 32 in March 2026 and his contract runs out in June 2027, so this season will decide what comes next.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jonathan Castro Otto |
| Born | 3 March 1994, Vigo, Galicia, Spain |
| Age | 32 |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Position | Right back or left back |
| Preferred foot | Both |
| Club | Deportivo Alavés (La Liga), shirt number 19 |
| Contract ends | 30 June 2027 |
| Estimated market value | Roughly 1.6 million to 2.5 million euros |
| Spain senior caps | 3 (all in 2018) |
A Celta Kid With Two Good Feet
Otto grew up in Vigo and came through the youth system at Celta de Vigo, the club he supported as a boy. He played for the reserves first and reached the senior squad as a teenager. Over the next few seasons he became a dependable La Liga full back, the kind of player whose value is easy to miss until he's injured.
What set him apart was his footwork. He is comfortable with either foot, so he can play right back or left back without his crossing or passing getting worse. He isn't tall at 1.75 metres, but his low centre of gravity, pace and stamina suit a position that asks for repeated sprints up and down the touchline.
The Atlético Detour and the Molineux Years
In 2018 Atlético Madrid signed him from Celta for a reported 7 million euros, then loaned him straight to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wolves made the move permanent in January 2019 for a reported fee of around 15 million pounds. In his first seasons in England he played regularly, made more than 100 appearances for the club and became popular with supporters who liked his energy. He was also part of the squad that won the Premier League Asia Trophy in 2019, which was a pre-season tournament rather than a major honour.
Wolves rewarded him with a contract extension in February 2021, reportedly worth about 9.1 million pounds in total. At his peak there he was reported to earn close to 75,000 pounds a week.
Knees, Contracts and a Messy Exit
Injury changed his time at Wolves. He suffered a serious ACL injury during the 2020/21 season and had further setbacks after he returned. A full back who depends on running loses a lot when his knees can't be trusted, and by 2023 he was no longer a regular. Reports linked him to a training ground incident in December 2023, and his contract was cancelled by mutual consent in January 2024.
The way it ended was unfortunate. For several years he had been one of the more reliable parts of a well run Wolves side.
A Title in Thessaloniki
PAOK signed him on a free transfer that same January. He needed time to get fully fit, but he settled in quickly and was part of the squad that won the Greek Super League in May 2024. Players with long injury records don't often get to collect a league winner's medal in their thirties, so the title says a lot about how well he recovered.
Back in La Liga, on a Free
In July 2025 he joined Alavés, again on a free, and signed until June 2027. He made around 29 league appearances in 2025/26 and is still a sensible option on either flank for a club that values experience and versatility more than flair. He wears the number 19 shirt.
Icon Polls research puts his career total at more than 400 professional appearances, with roughly 11 goals and 19 assists. Those numbers are approximate, but they show what kind of player he is: steady, defensive first, and seldom the scorer.
What He Earns, and What He's Worth
No official salary figure has been published, so the following numbers are estimates. His pay at Alavés is put at around 1.66 million euros a year. That is a clear drop from his Wolves wages, which is normal for a player moving from the Premier League to a mid table Spanish club.
Icon Polls estimates Jonny Otto's net worth in 2026 at between $8 million and $12 million. Most of that comes from his Premier League years. The figure is our estimate based on reported wages, not a confirmed number.
His transfer value has fallen a long way. Around 2019 and 2020 valuation sites put him above 15 million euros. Today most estimates sit between 1.6 million and 2.5 million euros, which reflects his age, his injury history and a contract with less than a year remaining.
Spain, Briefly
He won 3 senior caps for Spain in 2018 under Luis Enrique and made his debut in a friendly win against Wales. Before that he played for Spain's U19 and U21 sides and won the UEFA U19 Championship in 2012. His senior international career was short, but it came at the moment he was playing his best football.
The 2027 Question
Otto hasn't said much about his family, and we won't speculate about his private life here. What we can say is that he is 32, he has proven twice that people wrote him off too early, and his contract has one year left. Alavés can extend his deal, let him go for free again, or he can follow many Galician players and finish his career closer to home. Any of these could happen. For now, he looks like a squad player who can still hold down a starting place.
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How old is Jonny Otto?
He was born on 3 March 1994 in Vigo, so he is 32 in 2026.
Which foot does Jonny Otto use?
Both. That is the main reason he can play right back or left back.
When does his Alavés contract end?
His current deal runs until 30 June 2027.
