Sunderland: 35-cap international will give Black Cats exactly what they were missing in 2023-24 - View | OneFootball

The Irishman is set to join the Mackems after leaving Preston North End this summer

Sunderland are reportedly on the verge of bringing experienced campaigned Alan Browne to the club this summer, with the Republic of Ireland international set to undergo a medical at the Stadium of Light this week.

The 29-year-old is a free agent after his 10-year association with Preston North End came to an end at the end of last month, having made over 400 appearances in all competitions for the Lilywhites.

That experience and know-how will prove invaluable in the middle of the park for the Black Cats if they do make the midfield general theirs this summer, and give Regis Le Bris that elder statesman he can rely on during match days.

That was something that the Mackems were lacking at times in the previous campaign, with the focus on a youthful and exuberant side coming back to haunt them when the going got tough.

Alan Browne can add Championship experience to youthful Sunderland squad

The Wearsiders were a breathe of fresh air at times last season, as their plucky young squad played some of the finest football in the second tier when they were firing on all cylinders.

But as the season wore on, that effervescent style of play was hard to find, and wasn’t helped by Jack Clarke’s absence through injury during parts of the second-half of the campaign.

The managerial uncertainty at the club didn’t help either, with Tony Mowbray given the elbow in December, before Michael Beale’s unsuccessful stint as boss lasted a matter of weeks, leaving Mike Dodds to pick up the pieces.

With a matchday squad that was regularly the youngest in the second division, Sunderland lived by the sword and died by the sword in terms of their philosophy during that time, as the season ended with just two wins in 15 league matches.

Interim boss Dodds wasn’t afraid to blood young talent during that time though, with the average age of the squad in the 4-2 defeat to Southampton in March the youngest ever seen at Championship level at just 21.0 years.

That youthful enthusiasm can work wonders when things are going your way, but when you have 40,000 screaming Mackems surrounding you on a Saturday, sometimes you need an older head to calm things down, and that is exactly what Browne can provide in the years to come.

The former Preston man has shown time and time again the talents that he has at the level, and with the likes of Dan Neil, Pierre Ekwah and Chris Rigg surrounding him, he can use his experience to help his teammates when things are going against them in the upcoming campaign.

Having played in over 30 second tier matches in each of the previous nine seasons, there aren’t many players that know the league as well as the Irishman, and the investment in his services will be seen as a shrewd bit of business by the Sunderland chiefs in years to come.

Alan Browne can act as indirect Corry Evans replacement at the Stadium of Light

Although he will be playing in a more advanced position, Browne can be seen as a replacement for Corry Evans in the Black Cats’ squad next season; as the experienced campaigner to guide his team-mates during the 90 minutes.

This was a role that club captain Evans was meant to be filling during his time at the club, but injury put paid to that, with the Northern Irishman barely featuring over the past 12 months due to a serious knee injury picked up in early 2023.

The midfielder appeared in just three matches during the previous campaign, as he came off the bench in the final three league matches of the season to mark his goodbye to the club he had been employed by for the previous three years.

With Browne becoming available at the perfect time, things couldn’t have worked out much better for Sunderland this summer, with the former North End man adding an extra bit of quality into the centre of the park, as well as a player that doesn’t mind the responsibility of leading by example for his teammates.