After the arrival of two new faces yesterday, Oxford United have added another brace to their squad today. Former U’s star Marcus Browne has re-joined the club on loan from Middlesbrough, while Karl Robinson has snapped up highly-rated youngster Rob Atkinson for an undisclosed fee from Eastleigh.
Oxford United Marcus Browne and Rob Atkinson
Robinson Has a Wealth of Talent
Browne is a familiar face at the Kassam Stadium having spent last season on loan with the League One side.
During his time with the U’s, the former West Ham United winger scored nine goals and provided five assists in 44 games.
There was hope that the 22-year-old would rejoin the club in the summer but he opted to join Middlesbrough instead.
The other arrival is 21-year-old defender Rob Atkinson. The centre-back, who can also play on the left, was a target for a dozen clubs this window and even attracted interest from the Championship.
The fee is undisclosed, and the defender will be loaned back to the National League side for the remainder of the season.
Building for Promotion, But Also Building for the Future
Yesterday, Robinson brought in Nathan Holland and Liam Kelly from West Ham and Feyenoord respectively, with both players coming in on loan.
The loan arrivals all show intent as the U’s look to secure promotion to the Championship, while the acquisition of Atkinson highlights the clubs investment for future talent.
Oxford have been in terrific form and are certainly one of the front runners to secure promotion from League One, but a key philosophy at the club is building for the future and with an abundance of talented youth, the U’s are continuing with this.
There could still be one or two new faces, but the hardest part for Robinson now is to keep hold of his key players, and there are certainly a few of those.
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