Hayden Hackney is attracting a lot of transfer interest this summer.
Middlesbrough would love to keep Hayden Hackney this summer, and there will undoubtedly be conversations to make that happen.
The Redcar-raised midfielder is a lifelong Boro fan and has stated that his ambition is to gain promotion with the club. Boro will try to use that aspiration in their efforts to persuade Hackney to stay this summer, with the 22-year-old still having plenty of time to make a bold move in the future if Boro fail to satisfy Hackney’s top-flight goals.
However, with only two years remaining on his current contract at the Riverside, Boro will expect to receive additional bids for the Teessider this summer, after turning down two offers from Porto in the January transfer window. Top Premier League clubs, as well as continental powers like as the Portuguese, are interested in England’s under-21 international.
It’s easy to see why so many clubs will be interested in the Boro midfielder, despite his only previous experience in the Championship. That’s especially true given the success former Blackburn Rovers player Adam Wharton has had at Crystal Palace since moving up from the second tier.
Despite the team’s general failings, Hackney’s last season at Boro may have been his most impressive ever. Returning off a season of injury anguish, Hackney demonstrated his brilliance, outperforming Europe’s finest in one vital metric that will appeal to many potential suitors.
Hackney has developed into a really positive centre midfielder under Michael Carrick’s coaching. He prefers to obtain the ball in deeper areas and whether it’s carrying the ball or passing it, he often looks to go ahead rather than sideways or backwards. He’s been an important part in Boro’s march up the pitch.
That is evidenced by the fact that Hackney made more advanced passes last season than any other player in Europe’s premier leagues. He completed 440 forward passes in total, which was far more than the next best in the Championship, Bristol City’s Jason Knight (336). The closest across Europe was Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich (362).
He also ranked highly for successful passes into the final third of the pitch. He did it 362 times, trailing only Kimmich (437) and Granit Xhaka (373), both of whom play for Bayer Leverkusen. Of course, one could argue that Hackney is just performing in England’s second division, as opposed to the players we’re comparing him to.
However, the Championship’s reputation has improved significantly in recent years, and it is commonly acknowledged that the division’s pace and tempo are comparable to Europe’s finest. Hackney’s figures will not only get more spectacular, but they will also draw the attention of scouts from all over.
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