Aberdeen have completed the signing of Greg Stewart on loan until the end of the season – and it has left Killie boss Steve Clarke furious.
The attacker had been on loan at Rugby Park before being recalled by parent club Birmingham once the transfer window opened.
The Dons wasted no time in moving to bring Stewart back to Pittodrie until the end of the season.
Clarke said there was a “strange smell” surrounding the deal but admitted there was little he could do.
But does the Killie boss have a point?
Despite Stewart’s form at Rugby Park, he was still a Birmingham player and City were picking up the bulk of his wages.
The loan system has been a boon for smaller clubs in recent years but there can be pitfalls.
With the loaning club only playing a percentage of the wages, they can’t have too many complaints when the player is recalled.
If Clarke was so eager to keep the player then they should have made a move to sign him permanently.
There’s little doubt that Stewart was a fantastic signing for Killie but there was always the risk that Birmingham would look to recall him at the first available opportunity.
With the attacker now headed to Pittodrie until the end of the season, it’s fair to assume the Dons offered better terms to Birmingham than Killie.
It might be unfair on clubs with smaller budgets but when they are only paying a small percent of a player’s wages they’re at the mercy of others.
It won’t be the last time it happens to someone and it’s difficult to have much sympathy for Killie.