Football Journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that in-demand striker Sinclair Armstrong has decided to move to Bristol City.
The Queens Park Rangers striker has been in demand over recent days with The Robins in battle with multiple EFL clubs for his signature. Ultimately the Irish international opted to join Liam Manning’s side and is due to undergo a medical according to Bristol Live.
Stoke City were reported to have made a last-minute effort to disrupt the deal between the two parties with a deal in the region of £2m offered to Marti Cifuentes’ team last week. Fellow Championship side Sunderland and League One favourites Birmingham City had also shown interest.
Armstrong bolsters the Ashton Gate side’s attacking options amidst the uncertainty around Tommy Conway’s future. Both Celtic and Rangers have been reported to be pursuing the Scottish forward as he enters the last year of his contract.
This latest blow leaves Stoke continuing their search to replace the outgoing Tyrese Campbell and Wesley, who were released in the summer. Ryan Mmaee and Niall Ennis are the remaining senior strikers for Steven Schumacher, with MK Dons loanee Emre Tezgel returning and impressing the former Plymouth Argyle boss in pre-season.
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Speaking to the media following their win over Chester, the 40-year-old boss said of the youngster’s performance (Quotes via Stoke-on-Trent Live): “He should have had a hat-trick! Keeper made a good save, that chance was a great chance. He’s a young lad who I haven’t seen a load of.
“When I came in in December, Emre was just coming back from an injury and he went out on loan to MK Dons for the second half of the season. So I haven’t seen a lot of him in training sessions or whatever so it’s been good.
“He’s been really sharp in all the pre-season days that we’ve done, he’s scored goals in every session and he’s come in and scored two so that’s good. Really pleasing signs.”
Writer’s View
Missing out on Sinclair Armstrong was probably an expected blow for Stoke City. Bristol City had already got the jump on their competitors and it seems that advantage was enough to see the deal through. £2m for the striker is a brilliant sale for QPR and will allow them to invest across the squad in exchange for a player not really used by Marti Cifuentes.
This preseason seems to be perfect for Emre Tezgel. He has had faith put in him to lead the front line in their first few games and has delivered against Chester. It seems that Steven Schumacher has been impressed with the 18-year-old’s efforts and should the striker situation not be solved he may become a new choice going into the start of the season against Coventry City.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
