Should Spurs seek a new midfielder, the Preston ace has 12 goals and 5 assists in the Championship this season and is a Republic of Ireland international.
It’s no secret that Tottenham Hotspur really could do with bringing in some new players this summer following two transfer windows bereft of incomings.
However, with the club having spent large amounts of money on building the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it doesn’t really bode well in terms of being able to get the chequebook out for bolstering the ranks.
One avenue Spurs could pursue is looking to the English Football League for hidden gems, and one such player is Preston North End midfielder Alan Browne, who has been impressive over the past few seasons but seems to have largely gone under the radar.
A signing from Irish club Cork City in January 2014, the 24-year-old has developed steadily at Deepdale, taking part in the club’s 4-0 victory over Swindon Town in the 2014-15 League One playoff final.
Browne had an especially impressive season in 2017-18, making 44 Championship appearances, scoring six goals and registering one assist (Transfermarkt), which played a part in him winning Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Goal of the Season at the club.
This season just gone he played fewer games but became even more of a goal threat, scoring an impressive 12 goals and claiming five assists in just 38 league appearances (Transfermarkt), while on the award front, he once again picked up the Goal of the Season award.
According to Whoscored, Browne’s main strengths are his defensive contributions, aerial duels, finishing and concentration, while his knack for preferring short passes wouldn’t be a bad thing in a team which plays like Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham.
Furthermore, he is a versatile player who, as noted again on Whoscored, has played in attacking midfield, central midfield and defensive midfield, as well as being utilised on the right wing as a substitute.
Valued at £1.8million by Transfermarkt as of 27 February – although Preston would be likely to command a higher fee than that should there be any interest – and already a fully-fledged Republic of Ireland international (Transfermarkt), Spurs could do worse than take a look at Browne as a possible new recruit.
After all, they brought in Dele Alli from MK Dons and turned him into one of the Premier League’s most exciting players, which shows that with Pochettino’s man-management, Tottenham are one of the best clubs for turning hidden gems into bona fide stars.
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