Financial picture dramatically improves for Shamrock Rovers in 48 hours with Sinclair Armstrong deal and European win

Bristol City and Stoke City are locked in a battle to sign Armstrong from QPR, with the London club set to cash in on the Irish striker as he enters the final year of his contract.

That’s good news for Rovers who negotiated a 25pc sell-on clause as part of the deal that saw Armstrong leave Tallaght for Loftus Road in 2020.

This means a hell of a lot to this football club over the next 12-18 months

Bristol City were in advanced talks with QPR when Stoke City entered the race late in the day and it’s understood that Armstrong will move in the coming days for a fee of £2.5m (€2.9m) with the figures agreed between the respective clubs.

The Ireland U-21 regular, who made a senior debut off the bench against the Netherlands last September, must pick between the two Championship clubs.

While the structure of the deal could affect the bottom line for Rovers, the anticipation is that they will pocket around €700,000 from the transfer.

That’s more good news after their Champions League success over Icelandic champions Vikingur Reykjavik brought their guaranteed European monies for the year to €1.7m.

Rovers lost over €2m in 2023 but advancing through one round in Europe in addition to the Armstrong deal means the financial picture for 2024 has dramatically improved in the space of 48 hours.