Now that the dust has settled on the 2023/24 season, Middlesbrough will already be thinking about how they can improve their side for next season.
Having finished third in the previous season, Michael Carrick can be forgiven for being slightly disappointed at missing out on the play-offs this campaign, as Middlesbrough finished eighth.
However, it was a difficult season, with Boro failing to win in each of their first seven league games and having to manage a squad which suffered more than its fair share of injuries.
It is sure to be a busy summer at the club, with outgoings expected as well as incomings who could bolster the ranks.
Money could again be tight at The Riverside, so a move for an out of contract Championship stalwart could represent really astute business for the Teesside club.
Middlesbrough should target Alan Browne
The player in question is Preston North End’s Alan Browne.
The 29-year-old has spent a remarkable ten years at the Deepdale club having made the move from his native Ireland in 2014, but is seeking pastures new with his contract set to expire on June 1st.
This has understandably piqued the interest of a number of Championship clubs, with the likes of Coventry City and newly-relegated Sheffield United reportedly eyeing up a move.
Boro would be wise to join the race, particularly with Hayden Hackney‘s departure almost certain this summer and Browne an experienced player who could come straight into the side and add real quality to the midfield.
There is a possibility that Browne extends his decade-long stay at Preston further, though this seems unlikely given he has had a contract offer on the table for the majority of the season and is yet to commit.
Alan Browne arrival would give Middlesbrough promotion chances real boost
Browne has been incredibly loyal to Preston since joining as a 19-year-old, so it is understandable the 35-cap Ireland international may want a new challenge.
Whoever signs the midfielder will be boosted by the presence of a neat and tidy midfielder with an eye for goal who is comfortable playing as a holding midfielder, box-to-box ‘8’, or an attacking midfield player.
This season, Browne has scored four and assisted four in 41 Championship games according to Transfermark, but his best goalscoring return came in the 2018/19 season as he contributed 12 goals and five assists in the second tier.
His Preston manager Ryan Lowe is desperate for him to stay at the club and has spoken on numerous occasions about how highly he rates Browne.
Speaking in November 2022, after Browne had recently returned from injury, Lowe hailed the midfielder’s performance in a 1-0 win over Swansea City, as he told the club’s official website: “Brilliant yeah. He deserves that, I just said to him then, he’s back.”
“Now you’ve seen, in the last two games, he’s been superb and that’s what I want from my big players, especially my captain, so fair play to him.”
“He’s got his head down, he’s worked at it, he’s been disappointed at not being in the team at times, but tonight he showed the Alan Browne of old and that’s what we want to continue to get out of him because when he’s performing like that, he’s unplayable.”
Beating the likes of Coventry and Sheffield United to Browne’s signature could prove difficult, but if Boro manage it then they will see their chances of promotion improve significantly.