Chesterfield aim to tie down Armando Dobra to long-term contract amid Stockport County interest

The 23-year-old has scored 11 goals in all competitions this season and his form led to interest from Stockport County among others in the January transfer window. The attacker, who is in his third season at the club after leaving Ipswich Town, is under contract until summer 2026.

It is believed that the League One Hatters made a move for him last month but they could not make the finances work to get a deal done. It remains to be seen whether Stockport, who are in the hunt for promotion to the Championship, come back in for him at the end of the season when, as things stand, he will have just 12 months remaining on his contract. Winning promotion to League One this campaign would of course help the Spireites tempt him to sign on the dotted line.

"Obviously we recognise that he is one of the main assets we have on the pitch, he has been fantastic for us this season,” director Ashley Kirk said on the latest episode of the club’s We Are Sailing podcast. “When he is on the pitch you know you are going to get 100%. The way he conducts himself off the pitch, he is the best professional. He is all about improvement and driving himself forward which is fab. Our job now is try to secure Armando’s future here for the long-term and keep him as happy as we possibly can. We will keep everyone posted, but that is the plan. Chesterfield is a happy home, I think, (for him) and we are working hard to continue to make it that.”

Dobra has made more than 100 appearances for the club, netting over 30 times, and he has said several times how much he enjoys playing for the Blues, especially under manager Paul Cook, who brought him to Derbyshire from Ipswich Town in summer 2022. Since arriving, the former Albanian youth international has provided many memorable moments, whether it be scoring in the play-off final at Wembley against Notts County or his strikes in big FA Cup matches.

‘Dobs’ is Chesterfield’s top scorer in all competitions this season with 11 in total, including five goals and two assists in his last 11 appearances. In the last couple of months he has been playing in a deeper central role and he has been praised for his leadership qualities during Town’s injury crisis, with assistant manager Danny Webb convinced that he will be a future captain.