Simon Grayson, the former PNE chief, was speaking via Bitcoin Casinos.
Simon Grayson, a former manager of Preston North End, acknowledges that the team “slipped up” when Josh Brownhill left on a free transfer during his time there.
As a teenager, the midfielder made his debut for Deepdale’s first team. Brownhill scored six goals in 64 professional games after leaving the academy. However, the young player’s playing time in the Championship was restricted after PNE was promoted from League One in 2015, and he spent the second half of the season on loan at Barnsley.
With the Tykes, who finished sixth and defeated Millwall in the play-off final, Brownhill netted three goals in 27 appearances. Bristol City made a move for the former Manchester United youth player that summer as a result of his Oakwell performances. After playing for the Robins for the following four seasons, Brownhill signed a contract with Burnley in January 2020 for an estimated £9 million. He is now the Clarets’ vice captain.
“Yeah, it was probably a regret that me and Peter (Ridsdale) probably had at the time,” replied Grayson. “When Josh was near the first team and at 17 or 18, I gave him his debut. He eventually reached a point where he was eager to go play some games and wasn’t playing every week. Since we were in the Championship and Barnsley was in League One, we agreed to let him go on loan. However, that summer’s contract was expiring, so we let him depart without getting a new agreement. We made a mistake there, as he performed admirably at Barnsley, returned, turned down a contract, and Bristol City ultimately won him.
“I believe Lee Johnson moved there after performing well at Barnsley. That sort of stuff, anyhow, but we were disadvantaged. However, it’s fantastic that a player that we kind of groomed a little bit and who was cut loose at an early age is now the captain of a Premier League side. Josh deserves a lot of the credit since he was a genuinely kind child who just wanted to play and had a strong drive to achieve. He also worked hard. And what a fantastic job he’s done.”
Alan Browne’s ascent at Deepdale corresponded with Brownhill’s decline in status. The Irishman has continued to play for North End, making 401 appearances in all. Although Preston’s treatment of Brownhill has left some people disappointed, Grayson is extremely proud of Preston’s number eight’s career.
“I don’t think you could ever envisage that somebody is going to reach that milestone,” Grayson said. “However, you have optimism that they will succeed. On his first day of training, he was, I believe, eighteen, and he came in with an incredible amount of energy and sprinted about with an unmatched engine. He thrived because he had a strong desire to grow and learn. He was picking up skills from seasoned players like John Welsh, Jermaine Beckford, Paul Gallagher, and Joe Garner.
“But it’s all to his credit that he’s developed into the player and leader that he is—he’s been captain for a very long period. He has put forth a great deal of effort to reach that point. I adore hearing about athletes you sign who appear out of nowhere and go on to have incredible careers. You only need to take a look at past boys like Jordan Hugill, who we signed for £25,000 from Port Vale and who later sold for around £12 million to West Ham. Not just for myself but also for other managers, I adore those stories.”
“I believe we were very astute in the transfer window, between myself, Peter Ridsdale, and Mr. Hemmings,” Grayson continued. Peter and I worked closely together, and at that time we recruited Greg Cunningham, who came on a free transfer and went for £4 million, Callum Robinson, Daniel Johnson, and Ben Pearson from Manchester United for a combined several hundred thousand.
“We had a great time watching players, letting my coaching staff and I help them grow, and then selling them for a huge profit.” I don’t think we lost out on a lot of guys when we look back. However, I believe that we should be really proud of our growth and financial success at that specific period.”
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