Marcus Browne reveals Middlesbrough had to fight for his signature amidst interest elsewhere

Boro signed the midfielder from West Ham United for an undisclosed fee last week.

The 21-year-old, who made one senior appearance for the Hammers, spent last season on loan at Oxford United and revealed there was interest in his services from other clubs.

“There was quite a few clubs interested to be fair,” Browne said to BBC Tees. “Me and my agent were in constant conversations, what's best for me, what's best for my family, which is massively important.

“As a player your main objective and focus is on football, the other stuff that goes on around you you try to let your agent deal with it. Obviously, they feed you the information but they try to be as subtle as they can so you can just concentrate on the football.

But the youngster remains grateful to Oxford and manager Karl Robinson for providing him with a chance to shine in League One last season. Browne made 34 third-tier appearances, netting six goals in an impressive stint, meaning the ex-Wigan loanee had a tough summer decision to make.

“I have to admit it was difficult for me, I had a lot of calls and a lot of clubs keen on taking me on board. It was a bit helter-skelter, everything in the air but I'm glad it's sorted now. I went to the Oxford game, the gaffer (Karl Robinson) wanted to speak to me face to face. I went down to have a chat with him and to watch the game. My relationship with Oxford is strong, I like the gaffer, he gave me a chance to perform in the league”

However, Browne admits the lure of his new boss’ pedigree and philosophy made his mind up.

“Middlesbrough was always on the cards. The way the gaffer wants to play and my style of play, it suits me so I thought this was the perfect club for me,” Browne added.