Bristol City striker Sinclair Armstrong has been linked with a last-minute summer transfer away from Ashton GateBristol City forward Sinclair Armstrong joined the Robins last summer(Image: Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Gerhard Struber has addressed speculation linking Sinclair Armstrong with a late move away from Bristol City, with the Robins boss suggesting the striker “will stay” at Ashton Gate and be a “big part” of the Reds’ squad.

Reports initially emerged from Turkey on Monday evening that Super Lig side Goztepe were targeting the City forward ahead of Friday’s Turkish transfer deadline. Later that same night, Sky Sports suggested a bid of £868,000 was being considered by Struber’s side.

While Bristol Live understands Goztepe’s interest is genuine, the Robins are believed not to be actively looking to lose Armstrong at this stage, particularly given the fact they would be unable to sign a replacement with the transfer window shut in England.

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That sentiment has been echoed by City head coach Struber, who not only confirmed the interest in the 22-year-old in his pre-match press conference ahead of the weekend’s clash with Sheffield Wednesday, but also suggested it was “crystal clear” the striker would remain in the West Country.

“Yeah, but we hear the last few weeks again and again interest in Sinclair but also in other strikers,” the Robins boss said when asked if the reported interest from Turkey was genuine. “Also, this is not a big surprise.

“But on the same time, it’s crystal clear that he stays here right now. The window here is closed, this would mean that we could not bring in a replacement, and in more directions, he is a striker, a young striker – which maybe we forget sometimes – he has to learn, he has to grow, and he has potential to grow.

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“We have to work with him very, very closely, and also with him, we have to bring out and maximise his potential. In this way, he will stay, and he’s a big part in our roster.”

Armstrong arrived at City from Queens Park Rangers last summer and started the season as the Robins’ first-choice striker. However, as the campaign wore on, the Ireland international appeared to fall behind Nahki Wells in the pecking order before ending the term with three goals in 38 appearances in all competitions.

So far this season, the 22-year-old has yet to start a league game, with his only appearance in a competitive starting line-up coming in the Reds’ Carabao Cup defeat to Fulham last month. Over the course of Struber’s side’s first Championship games, the striker has played 50 minutes of football from the bench.

Although Armstrong’s last goal in red and white came in November last year, his pace and power have proven useful at times for the Robins under both Struber and Liam Manning. While the City boss has been impressed by those aspects of his game, he knows he still needs to be more effective in the final third.

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“He brings so many things on the table, but the question is always how do things connect in a game, and also so that he is in a balance in front of the goal that he is not over-paced,” Struber explained. “We have to work with him in more directions, but he has interesting skills.

“At the same time, we see also something that we have to improve, especially the topic in front of the goal, and this is the most important for a striker – how he is and works, in front of the goal.

“In this direction, we want to maximise and we want to train with him individually also, next to the team training, and hope that in the end we have a striker in our Bristol City boat who is ready to score much more like in the past.”

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