Sunderland's new signing Alan Browne says he waited for Régis Le Bris to be appointed as the new Black Cats head coach before committing to the club.
The Republic of Ireland international, who has amassed over 400 appearances for Preston North End over a ten year stint, says it was vital that he was wanted by the French head coach, rather than just being a 'club signing.'
"I met him before I signed," Browne told We Are Sunderland. "I think the club were in touch before he was actually appointed, but I did want to wait until the coach came in, because you don’t want to end up somewhere where the coach doesn’t like you or you don’t like the coach.
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"I thought it was important to get that conversation in early doors and make sure it wasn’t just a club signing, it was a coach’s signing as well.
"We had quite a lengthy conversation about his style of play, what he expects from me and what I can expect from him. He’s shown that so far. It’s been really good and quite intense. He’s made sure the boys are at it in training."
It widely accepted that Sunderland needed to box clever in the summer transfer market, adding Championship experience and nous to a young side that was naive at times last season.
"They’ve touched on it briefly," Browne said when asked about being a senior figure in a young dressing room and younger players being able to lean on him for experience. "It’s something they were looking for with their signings, to bring in people who are older, more experienced and have been around good and bad dressing rooms, who know what works and what doesn’t.
"I think naturally, the way I am, I do help people and encourage them. I’ll dig them out if needs be, but like I said before, you can’t just come in and dig people out, you need to find your feet first and get yourself in the team.
"Gaining their respect is a huge thing, if players don’t respect you, they’re probably not going to listen to you being realistic. I think it’s important to gain that respect, a mutual respect and take it from there.
"What you can demand from them, they can demand from you and at the end of the day, you’re all going for the same goal. It's the same ambition at the end and that’s promotion. That’s what you need to do to get there."
Sunderland supporters need no reminding of their dismal end to the 2023/24 campaign but Browne has full faith the Black Cats will be competing at the right end of the division next season.
When asked about his aims for next season, he said: "To add value to the squad in whatever way I can, whatever capacity that is, whether I’m playing, whether I’m not playing.
"I think a lot of players think you need to be playing every week and be the best player or the captain to be able to speak up and say something. Since I’ve been young I’ve always thought, if I have something to say I’m going to say it.
"I don’t ever look at it as a bad thing. If someone has something to say to me, I’ve got to respect it, take it on board, I might not always agree with it but at the end of the day they’re trying to help you and you need to take that advice and use it whatever way you can.
"There’s a clear ambition from the club. I wouldn’t have come here if I thought we were going to be hanging around mid-table. The talent here needs to be aiming for promotion. Whatever capacity that is.
"Whether it’s top-two or play-offs, we’ll see. We’ll get an idea for that when the season starts but the ultimate goal is to get promoted."
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Although Browne is a little behind where he'd like to be in terms of fitness, he's been left impressed by the quality in training and is hopeful he can play his part in a successful season.
"It's been really good," he said. "The first couple of sessions I did part of the sessions because I was a touch behind the lads, then did a top up on my own.
"The quality is there for everyone to see. The work rate is something that can always improve and that’s the least I expect from my teammates.
"Hard work, talent is only shown in glimpses. Maybe not so much this team, because they have a hell of a lot of talent. That’s one thing I’ve noticed straight away, it’s about getting the best out of them now as a player."
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