Oxford United boss Karl Robinson wants to sign West Ham United midfielder Marcus Browne on a permanent basis.
The 21-year-old has been on loan at the League One side since last summer, and during that time has scored eight goals in all competitions for the Us – and Robinson has admitted that it would be “ideal” if the club were able to sign him permanently.
He also admitted that he is confident that Oxford can afford the potential fee for the player.
“I don’t know whether that would be a West Ham decision . I’d like to take him on a permanent, that would be the ideal. I’m sure his agent would disagree that we could afford him, but we believe we can,” he said, as quoted by Claret and Hugh.
OPINION
Browne is clearly a young talent, but it remains to be seen just where his future lies with the Hammers at the moment. Manuel Pellegrini has a wide range of attacking talent to choose from, especially in the midfield – after all, he has the likes of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini and Robert Snodgrass at his disposal. Oxford signing him on a permanent basis would be a good move for Browne, as it would allow him to get regular game time rather than playing for West Ham’s under-23 side. That being said, Browne has been excellent during his loan spell, so it remains to be seen whether West Ham will let him sign for a club in the third division. He has shown the form of a player in the Championship, so it would not be surprising if West Ham denied him the chance to join Oxford on a permanent basis.
