Alan James Browne (born 15 April 1995) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Middlesbrough, on loan from club Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland national team.
Browne joined the Cork City U19 squad from Ringmahon Rangers before the 2012 season, graduating to the senior squad the following season. He was named on the substitutes' bench twice in the 2013 season for games against Sligo Rovers and Drogheda United, but he failed to make a first-team appearance for the club before leaving.
Browne signed an 18-month contract with Preston North End in League One, joining them on 1 January 2014. He made his first-team debut on 25 March 2014, coming on as a substitute in a 3âÂÂ1 victory against Peterborough United with the score at 1âÂÂ1, with a contribution and work ethic that drew praise from manager Simon Grayson.
In 2015, Browne was involved in the play-off final win, which saw Preston promoted to the Championship.
Browne became a major part of the Preston squad throughout the 2017âÂÂ18 season, scoring eight goals. This led to him earning the clubs Player of the Year award.
From the 2020âÂÂ21 season Browne was appointed club captain following the departure of Tom Clarke. On 13 January 2021, Browne signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal with the club, seeing him under contract until the end of the 2023âÂÂ24 season.
On 27 January 2024, Browne made his 400th appearance for Preston North End against Millwall.
On 1 July 2024, Preston North End announced that Browne had departed the club having rejected the offer of a new three-year deal. Following Browne's departure, reports circulated that he had rejected the offer of a new contract due to disagreements with then manager Ryan Lowe, who subsequently resigned one game into the 2024/2025 season.
Browne signed for fellow EFL Championship side Sunderland on a three-year deal in July 2024. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3-1 victory against Portsmouth.
Following Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League, on 1 September 2025 it was announced that Browne had signed for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough on a season-long loan deal. On 4 January 2026, Browne scored his first goal for the club in a 4âÂÂ0 thrashing of Southampton at Riverside Stadium. He scored a further two goals across the month, being named EFL Championship Player of the Month.
On 24 March 2021, Browne scored his first competitive goal for Ireland, a header to give them the lead in a 3âÂÂ2 defeat away to Serbia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Preston North End
Sunderland
Individual