Tue Dec 01, 2015 4:18 pm
ANTHONY STOKES could be on his way to Cardiff City to team up with former Celtic team-mate Tony Watt.
It looks as though the controversial Republic of Ireland international striker is heading for the Hoops exit after his outburst on Twitter before Sunday’s 3-1 win in Inverness sparked an angry rebuke from Ronny Deila who thought his remarks were “disrespectful”..
Frozen-out Stokes later apologised, but he appears to be out of his manager’s plans with Leigh Griffiths in good form and former England international Carlton Cole making a 30-minute appearance against Caley Thistle.
Nadir Ciftci, the £1.3million signing from Dundee United in the summer, is also waiting in the wings for a first team run.
The solution appears to be a January transfer window move for the frontman whose last first team start was against Dundee United in August.
Cardiff were linked with the former Sunderland and Hibs star in the summer, but boss Russell Slade wasn’t prepared to pay £1.5million for the 27-year-old who signed a three-year deal with the Hoops in October 2013.
Deila could be persuaded to part with the player now for around half the original asking fee.
Neil Lennon was interested in a reunion at Bolton, but the ex-Parkhead gaffer has been told there is no available cash at the club anchored to the foot of the Championship.
Ironically enough, just the day after Stokes tweeted about the wages not being important as it’s about contributing, the news emerged from Bolton that the club had failed to meet the players’ end of month payroll.
Last week Cardiff arranged to take ex-Celt Watt on loan from Charlton until the end of next month with the view to making the deal permanent.
The 21-year-old made his debut in the 2-2 draw with Burnley at the weekend and impressed for over an hour before he was substituted.
Watt has been told he has no future with the London side who signed him from Standard Liege in January. He was one of the first players out of Celtic when Deila replaced Lennon.
The Norwegian sold him to the Belgians for 1.2 million in August last year.