Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has joined Livingston on a one-year deal as a replacement for Lyndon Dykes.
A graduate of the Arsenal youth academy, the 29-year-old went on to play for the Gunners’ first-team and lists QPR, Ipswich, Bristol City, Cardiff and Gillingham among his previous clubs, most recently playing for Thai side PTT Rayong.
Livingston have an option of a second year, with the deal subject to international clearance, and head of football operations David Martindale believes the English striker could be the man to replace former striker Dykes, who recently moved to QPR.
Martindale told Livingston’s official website: “Jay has been in training with us for a week or so and has performed really well in training.
“To be honest, he fits the profile we were looking for perfectly since Lyndon departed.
“His link up play is fantastic and it will give us that much needed focal point up top that we have been missing since Lyndon moved on.
“I certainly believe it’s a bit of a coup to get a player that has played the amount of games Jay has played at a very good level – with over 150 games in the English Championship alone.
“He’s still only 29 and has a good number of years left playing top level football.
“He has some fantastic attributes and will complement the other strikers at the club while giving us a lot of flexibility when it comes to formations given he can play up top himself or in a two.
“He has come in and shown a great attitude and integrated into the group very well.
He has shown a tremendous desire to get back playing at the top level and we are very excited at what Jay can bring to the table.
“He brings with him a wealth of experience and I know Jay is keen to help the other strikers at the club by passing on those footballing experiences and from what we have seen at training, I know that the other strikers at the club will enjoy playing beside him.”
