Premier League clubs monitoring Rovers top scorer Armstrong

Armstrong finished with 17 goals in 2019/20, 11 of which came in this calendar year, and was yesterday nominated for the Championship’s player of the month prize for July.

A clutch of Premier League clubs showed interest in Armstrong in the January window, though Rovers batted away any advances before those reached the bidding stage, but the 23-year-old could find himself a man in demand this summer.

A £1.75m signing from Newcastle United two summers ago, Armstrong has established himself as one of the Championship’s hottest properties, and would likely command a fee more than five times that figure now. 

A proposed continuation of the five substitutes rule could see Premier League clubs keen to add more attacking options to their armoury.

Armstrong will be one of the players boss Tony Mowbray will be keen to build his side around heading into 2020/21 where Rovers will look to be in the reckoning for a top six finish.

He has two years left to run on his Ewood Park deal, and Rovers will want to continue resisting any possible advances for a player who still feels has plenty of improvement in him.

The former England youth international took on the goalscoring mantle after the season-ending injury suffered by Bradley Dack in the December draw with Wigan.

And Rovers fans will be eager to see Dack back in action as quickly as possible, with a September return a possibility for the 26-year-old who has worked hard to battle back from his anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The pair, along with Ben Brereton and Sam Gallagher, are Rovers’ senior attacking options following the departures of Dominic Samuel and Danny Graham at the end of their contracts.

Armstrong walked away as Rovers’ player of the season for 2019/20, and his strike at Cardiff City earlier this month saw him lift the Peter White Memorial Trophy.

Now the 23-year-old is one of four players shortlisted for the Championship’s July player of the month, with the winner announced at mid-day.

He said: “I’m at a good age now where I can really kick on and keep performing.

“I’m still only 23 and you’re not in your prime until your late 20s. I’m playing well, I’m enjoying my football and it’s paying off on the pitch.”

The attacker finished with 17 goals in 2019/20, four of which came in July, including his goal of the season strike against the Bluebirds.

The month also included a stunning free kick against Leeds United at Ewood Park, and he also showed his prowess on his left foot with finishes against Reading and Luton Town.

The strike at Cardiff also came during a productive July for Armstrong who won this award in January 2019.

He has now 35 goals in Rovers colours, nine of which came in a productive loan spell in 2017/18 as his nine strikes helped secure promotion back to the Championship.

Armstrong has enhanced his reputation during a fine personal season, but faces strong competition if he’s to secure his third award in the space of a week.

The judging panel said: “Staged his own goal of the month competition with four classically different goals in six games – a superb free-kick against Leeds, two clinical left-foot finishes and, best of all, an audacious first-time driven lob from 45 yards at Cardiff.”

Said Benrahma will be the favourite to take the award after the Brentford attacker scored six times in six matches, including a hat-trick against Wigan Athletic.

However, Wigan loanee Kieran Dowell also scored a hat-trick in the month of July in the rout against Hull City, also adding an assist, and scoring in the draw with Charlton.

Stoke City’s Championship survival owed much to the performances of central defender Danny Batth who scored three times, and helped the Potters to three clean sheets, in July.  

In a change to the usual format, there are six nominations for the manager prize. Marcelo Bielsa (Leeds United), Steve Cooper (Swansea City), Nathan Jones (Luton Town), Michael O’Neill (Stoke City), Scott Parker (Fulham) and Gerhard Struber (Barnsley) are all in the running.