Bristol City and Burnley FC both hit the jackpot with respective Josh Brownhill decisions - View | OneFootball

Midfielder Josh Brownhill has been an excellent servant to Bristol City and Burnley over the years.

Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill will be hoping to captain his side to promotion from the Championship this season.

It was an incredibly disappointing campaign for Burnley last season as they were relegated from the Premier League after just one year in the top flight, but they look in a strong position to bounce back at the first attempt.

The Clarets suffered a big blow as manager Vincent Kompany departed for Bayern Munich in May, but they appointed two-time promotion winner Scott Parker as his replacement, and the 44-year-old has made a good start to life at Turf Moor.

Burnley lost a number of key players this summer following relegation, including the likes of Aro Muric, Vitinho, Dara O'Shea, Sander Berge, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Anass Zaroury, Wilson Odobert and Zeki Amdouni, but Brownhill remained loyal to the club.

Brownhill has built a strong relationship with Clarets supporters since his arrival in January 2020, and fans of his former club, Bristol City, will also have positive memories of the midfielder.

Josh Brownhill was Lee Johnson's best Bristol City signing

Bristol City supporters will have mixed memories of former manager Lee Johnson, but the signing of Brownhill was surely the best decision he made during his time at the club.

Brownhill came through the academy at Preston North End, but he struggled for game time during the latter part of his time at Deepdale, and Johnson signed him on loan in January 2016 while he was manager of League One side Barnsley.

Johnson departed to take over at Ashton Gate the following month, but the Tykes went on to achieve promotion to the Championship under his successor, Paul Heckingbottom, and Brownhill played a starring role in their success.

Brownhill had clearly made a big enough impression on Johnson during their brief spell working together at Oakwell to convince him to bring him to City in the summer of 2016, and was a mainstay in the team over the next three-and-a-half years.

The midfielder quickly became one of the Robins' most consistent performers, and he produced a number of standout moments, most notably the stunning winner he scored in the 1-0 victory at Cardiff City in the Severnside derby in November 2019.

Brownhill was appointed as City's captain for the 2019-20 season, and he seemed to thrive under the increased responsibility, but his excellent performances inevitably saw him attract interest from elsewhere.

The 28-year-old made the move to then Premier League side Burnley for a fee of around £9 million in January 2020, and Johnson was devastated to lose one of his key players, admitting that "it felt like I was selling my son".

Brownhill may have been unable to help the Robins to the play-offs during his stint at Ashton Gate, but he did give supporters plenty of special memories, and he made the club a much bigger profit than they could ever have imagined.

Keeping hold of Josh Brownhill was crucial for Burnley this summer

It took Brownhill a little while to break up Sean Dyche's trusted midfield partnership of Jack Cork and Ashley Westwood after his arrival at Turf Moor, but an injury to the former in the summer of 2020 allowed him to establish himself in the team.

Brownhill did not look out of place in the Premier League, and while the Clarets suffered relegation from the top flight in the 2021-22 season, none of the blame could be placed at the midfielder's door.

Many expected Brownhill to be one of Burnley's biggest assets in the Championship, but few could have predicted that he would take his game to another level under the guidance of Vincent Kompany.

Brownhill enjoyed the best season of his career as the Clarets won the Championship title in Kompany's first year in charge, scoring an impressive seven goals and providing nine assists in 48 appearances.

Unfortunately for Burnley, they found life much tougher in the top flight, but despite enduring his second relegation during his time at the club, Brownhill was one of few players to emerge with any credit from what was a hugely underwhelming season.

The Clarets rejected a £3.4 million bid from Turkish side Trabzonspor for Brownhill this summer, and he was also reportedly the subject of interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Fulham, but he remained at Turf Moor, much to the delight of supporters.

Brownhill was named as Burnley's new captain by Parker in August, with the head coach explaining that "his stature within the squad" was a big factor in his decision, and after an outstanding start to the season, he looks on course to potentially better the numbers he produced in the 2022-23 campaign.

With Brownhill's contract set to expire in the summer, Trabzonspor are said to remain interested in signing him, and it has been claimed that they could make a move in January or attempt to reach a pre-contract agreement that would see him join in the summer.

Brownhill confirmed that he would like to remain with the Clarets beyond next summer, but he refused to rule out an exit, and if it is to be his final year in Lancashire, he will be determined to end his time at the club with another promotion.