Sunderland and Newcastle reportedly made additional bids for Nantes attacker Matthis Abline, but the deal fell through.
Sunderland made a late attempt to recruit Nantes forward Matthis Abline on deadline day, but the Frenchman is expected to stay with his current club after talks failed.
According to Ouest France, the Black Cats made a fresh proposal in the dying hours of the transfer window, with Newcastle United also interested in the 22-year-old player.
However, neither team made a formal bid, and Nantes remained steadfast on the player’s price. Abline, a France U21 international, has been on Sunderland’s radar for some weeks as sporting director Kristjaan Speakman and head coach Régis Le Bris seek to improve their offensive options ahead of the deadline.
The 30-year-old midfielder leaves Sunderland after making 23 appearances last season, helping the Black Cats return to the top level. However, possibilities are projected to be limited under Régis Le Bris this season.
Browne believes the relocation to Teesside made sense for a variety of reasons. Browne acknowledged to the club’s media staff that his first response after signing was relief. “Yeah, probably relief more than anything,” he replied when asked about his initial reaction to joining Middlesbrough.
Browne said why the move made sense for him at this point in his career: “Well, I guess for obvious reasons. I’m currently located near to my home. I have a young family, so the transfer was always going to be easy, plus the club is vast.
“If we’re being honest, it’s a Premier League club, and I’m going to attempt to help the club get back there. They’ve had a great start so far, with several good individual players. I had a quick conversation with the manager, who talked me into it as well.” Browne acknowledged to keeping up with Middlesbrough’s early-season form: “I watch the highlights every weekend, but I didn’t get a chance to see the entire game. “Hopefully, that will come.”
The Republic of Ireland star, who spent ten years with Preston North End until joining Sunderland last summer, feels the experience affected his entire career: “Oh, it was amazing. Essentially, I went from boy to man. It was life-changing for me at the time, and I evolved as a person and a player throughout my time there, gaining valuable knowledge that I intend to bring to this club.”
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