OPINION
West Ham sanctioned the permanent exit of Marcus Browne earlier in the summer by selling him to Middlesbrough and his departure may become painful for the club sooner rather than later.
The Hammers confirmed on July 26th, via their official website, that the playmaker had joined the Championship side for an undisclosed fee after managing to make only one appearance for the senior side.
Given that Browne hadn’t been a regular for the first-team and that his exit meant Manuel Pellegrini didn’t want to hand him a chance in the upcoming campaign, it was hard to be too sad over his exit as in hindsight it may turn out to have been the right decision.
However, if former Stoke City boss Gary Rowett is right about Browne than the 21-year-old’s exit will become painful for the club and its fans in the near future.
The 45-year-old was asked to pick his signing of the summer in the Championship, and he proceeded to rave about Browne.
Rowett highlighted that the playmaker was a really talented boy and if everything lined up at Boro under Jonathan Woodgate for him then he could light the Championship up.
“I believe Middlesbrough have signed him, Marcus Browne from West Ham,” said Rowett on BBC Radio 5 Live, as seen in a clip on the broadcaster’s Twitter account.
“I watched him a lot last season, my analyst Joe Garner was always banging on about him, saying what a really really talented player he was.
“Really talented boy, got a lot of power, lot of strength, got loads of natural ability, we’re talking about players and the margins and for me this season if he can get the right environment with Jonathan Woodgate, if he can get the right amount of game time, he is one who could really light it up in terms of the quality he has got.”
Browne wowed on loan at League One’s Oxford United last season as he scored nine goals while assisting five in his 44 outings and averaged a goal every 308 minutes. (Source: BBC Sport)
So it’s fair to say that Rowett could be right to predict that the 21-year-old could make the step up to the Championship in spectacular style, and this would make his exit hurt from a West Ham perspective.
As not only will the Hammers think they shouldn’t have thrown the towel in on Browne as if the 21-year-old can deliver in the Championship, it’s not a bridge too far to say he may soon be good enough for the Premier League, but they will kick themselves over his fee.
EXWHUEmployee claimed on Twitter that the Hammers sold Browne to Middlesbrough for just £300,000 and when you consider Liverpool value Harry Wilson above £20million, as stated by Sky Sports, on the back of him having one really good season in the Championship with Derby, it shows how much Browne could be worth next summer.
So with that in mind, Rowett gushing about Browne shows how the Hammers letting Browne go permanently in 2019 may come back to bite them sooner rather than later.
