Rory Gaffney pens new deal to boost Shamrock Rovers

Speculation around Rory Gaffney's future has ended after the striker agreed a new deal with Shamrock Rovers that will keep him at the Hoops for the 2024 campaign.

Gaffney has developed into a key figure in Stephen Bradley's dressing room since signing from Salford City in 2020.

Last year the 34-year-old won the PFAI Players' Player of the Year and SSE Airtricity League Player of the Year awards as Rovers clinched the title.

He shone again this season to help the Dublin outfit to their fourth league crown in a row.

With Ronan Finn leaving for UCD and Alan Mannus retired, Bradley will be relieved to tie down such an important figure.

Plenty of clubs had been monitoring Gaffney's situation closely.

On Wednesday, Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins admitted he'd explored the possibility of signing the experienced and highly rated frontman.

"There were a couple of conversations had with his representative," Higgins told the Derry Journal.

"We were obviously fighting with [Rovers] up until the last few weeks so it was mainly [talks] with his agent.

"Listen, they are going for five in a row and I always felt it would be a stretch. It is what it is. We move on and we have other targets that we are actively pursuing and we're on it and trying to make sure we go into next season with a team that's capable of winning the league."

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