Former Celtic striker Anthony Stokes is set to leave Livingston after agreeing to a mutual termination of his contract, according to the Daily Record.
Stokes only signed for Livingston 24 days ago on a one-year deal, and has yet to even play a single minute of action for his new club.
However, the Record believes that Stokes isn’t comfortable with the thought of training on a plastic pitch as he looks to build up his fitness levels. The newspaper believes that has been a critical factor in Stokes’ decision.
The Record also reports that Stokes currently has nothing lined up, and after recent spells with Tractor and Persepolis in Iran, he may not be the most attractive proposition for clubs looking for a new striker.
Regardless, his time in West Lothian looks all but over in what was a move that never truly looked like working out.
Artificial surfaces have got to go, but Stokes needs a club to trust him
The glaring question in this particular saga has got to be “why?”. Why on earth did Stokes even sign for Livi if he wasn’t keen on training on artificial surfaces? Surely that was something that was discussed between himself and manager Gary Holt?
The Irishman now finds himself in a position where he isn’t match-fit with Scottish Premiership clubs now well into the season. He’ll do well to find a decent outfit who will take a chance on him at this stage.
Stokes’ talent has always been undoubted. He managed 76 goals and 64 assists in 192 Celtic appearances (Transfermarkt). But his glory days at Parkhead are now long gone. Looking to the future, his time at Livingston won’t have done him any favours.
What this whole scenario also highlights, however, is that these artificial surfaces have got to go. Stokes isn’t the only player in the country who isn’t a fan of them, and the likes of Livi are now seeing it cost them potentially decent signings.
It feels unlikely that Stokes will now stay in the Premiership. Many clubs in the bottom half of the league have already done their summer work, and the Irishman has next to no chance of finding a team up the other end of the table.
Hopefully, things work out for Stokesy as he looks to get himself back on track and end his career on a high. But unfortunately, he seems a long way from that at the moment.
In other news, Ross County boss Stuart Kettlewell provided a promising update on how Saturday’s test event went.
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