Former Rangers star Kyle Lafferty has been left fuming after Kilmarnock issued a ‘disingenuous’ update on his future following their relegation from the Premiership [Daily Record].
Lafferty signed a short-term deal at Killie in February and was tasked with keeping the Ayrshire club in the top flight.
He was outstanding during his time at Rugby Park, scoring 13 goals in 13 matches across the league and Scottish Cup, but Tommy Wright’s side went down anyway via a playoff defeat to Dundee.
Shortly afterward, Killie asserted that terms had been offered to Lafferty to stay on for next season, but earlier this week, they released a statement confirming that he and three other first-team players would be moving on [Kilmarnockfc.co.uk].
Remarkably, though, the Northern Ireland international insists he wasn’t consulted prior to the announcement.
“I was with the Northern Ireland squad in Ukraine when I read that I’d decided to move on from Kilmarnock, it was extremely disappointing,” he said [Daily Record]. “It just isn’t true that I’ve walked away, the opposite is true. I loved the time I had there and wanted to stay.”
“My aim was to be a part of the bid to bounce straight back to the Premiership next season but the club have announced that won’t be happening. The club spoke to my agent, he told them what I was looking for and I wasn’t asking for the earth or to give the boss Tommy Wright a heart attack.
“Contract talks are all about negotiation but there was none of that, we heard nothing, just an announcement on the official club website that I and several other players had decided to move on. It’s a disingenuous statement, the fans deserve to know what the situation is as it’s not right to have players thrown under the bus because of the relegation.”
These are strong words from Lafferty, who is clearly very unhappy with how his situation has been handled.
If his claims are accurate, it’s a surprise that Killie would treat a player so poorly, particularly one who produced so much for them in a short space of time.
Had he stayed put, there’s little doubt that the 33-year-old would have scored for fun in the second tier, but now the search is on for a new club.
There’s every chance that he’ll remain in Scotland this time, though, with Motherwell reportedly already offering him a deal [Scottish Sun].
In other news, a 16-goal reported Rangers target has broken his silence on Ibrox speculation.
