Anthony Stokes spent six years at Celtic before moving to Blackburn Rovers.
Anthony Stokes has admitted to Blackburn Rovers that it was time for him to leave Celtic.
Stokes spent six years with the Bhoys, but he had fallen out of favour at Parkhead.
The 27-year-old was sent out on loan to Hibernian last season, and new Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers felt that the attacker was surplus to requirements.
Rodgers quickly offloaded Stokes after being appointed, and the attacker admits that a move to Ewood Park could help him push on to the next level.
“I’d been there for six years and maybe it was time for a change,” Stokes admitted. “I want to come down here and prove myself. It’s another challenge for me and it’s one that I’m really looking forward to.
“It’s something different. At Celtic, maybe I was in a bit of a comfort zone. I think I did well over my course of time there, I played probably 90% of the games up until the last season or so, but I’m just looking forward to coming down here.”
Stokes ended up making 192 appearances for Celtic, and he scored 77 goals for the Glasgow giants.
Stokes was a key player at Parkhead for a number of years, but he failed to convince Ronny Deila last term.
The Republic of Ireland international’s move to Blackburn brings him back to English football for the first time since 2009.
Blackburn sold Jordan Rhodes last January, and they are still looking to fill the void the the clinical striker’s departure has left.
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