The ECHO spoke to Middlesbrough reporter Craig Johns about pending Everton signing Hayden Hackney ahead of his big move.
Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney is set to join Everton
Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney is set to join Everton(Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
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Everton are closing in on their first summer signing with the acquisition of midfielder Hayden Hackney from Championship side Middlesbrough, in a £25m deal.
The 24-year-old was crowned EFL Championship Player of the Year last season, as Kim Hellberg's side narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League in the play-off final agaisnt Hull City.
But it now looks like Hackney will get to fulfil his top-flight dream after all, with David Moyes set to bring him to Finch Farm imminently.
The ECHO spoke to Teeside Live's Middlesbrough reporter Craig Johns to get the lowdown on Hackney and figure out what Evertonians should expect from their new man.
Everton are on the brink of signing Hackney. Do you think he is capable of making the step up to the Premier League?
It’s always hard to judge because, realistically, the gulf in class between the two divisions is so high. But what is clear is that Hayden Hackney has now outgrown the Championship. In every game he played last season, he always looked a class above.
Encouragingly, from an Everton perspective, he’s twice scored against Premier League clubs (Fulham and Chelsea) and didn’t look at all out of place in any games Boro have had recently against top-flight opposition in cup competitions.
Then, considering other recent midfielders to move from the Championship to the Premier League successfully, such as Alex Scott and Adam Wharton, and the fact that Hackney looked every bit as good, if not better than both of those stars in their final Championship seasons, all bodes well.
The feeling at Boro for many years now has been that Hackney will be a Premier League star one day.
What are his best attributes as a player?
Hackney is an ultra-positive, ball-carrying midfielder. He loves to drive his side forward and make an impact at the top end of the pitch. He can unlock a defence with a pass, and has scored some excellent goals in recent years too. But, having learned the value of how he sets himself and shapes himself when receiving the ball from Michael Carrick, Hackney matured into a forward-thinking midfielder who glides up a pitch with the ball at his feet.
What is his best position on the pitch and can he play any others?
Mainly, to get the best out of Hackney, you should play him as an eight with the freedom to get on the ball and break into the final third to support the attack. Partnered with a more defensive-minded midfielder who can offer him that little extra freedom, Hackney can really shine.
He could play as a deeper-lying six if required, but it certainly wouldn’t be the way to get the best out of him. He has sometimes played in the forward line too, either as a ten or an inside forward, but he’s better suited to receiving the ball deep and driving forward, rather than playing much with his back to goal.
What can you tell us about Hackney's temperament? Do you think he will cope with the physicality and high-pressure environment of the English top-flight?
Generally speaking, Hackney plays football with a smile on his face and just loves to get on the ball and express himself. Nothing that’s happened regularly, but there has been one or two instances where he’s become frustrated on particularly bad days and threatened to lose his head.
It’s maybe happened two or three times in the last four seasons, though, so certainly not something you’d say he does regularly.
In terms of dealing with the pressure, in the last two seasons in particular, he’s been Boro’s star man during tense promotion battles. No matter the size of the game, Hackney’s always played his game and done his job well.
The transfer is reportedly worth £25m. Who is getting the better deal? Everton or Middlesbrough?
If all goes to plan, I think it will be a good deal for both parties. With just 12 months left on his contract, Boro have perhaps done well to get so much for Hackney. But that’s reflective of his star quality and importance to Boro. They couldn’t afford to lose him for peanuts because of the need to replace him.
For Everton, there’s a risk in signing a player with no top-flight experience for a big fee. But I genuinely believe it will be one that pays off. My guess will be that one day Everton sell him to a top-six club for a significantly larger fee, and with that expectation in mind, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Boro have insisted on a sell-on fee clause being inserted into the deal, as they did with the sale of Morgan Rogers to Aston Villa.
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It's as simple as 1-2-3.
Hackney won Championship Player of the Season, weighing in with 12 goal contributions. What triggered his upturn in performance levels under Kim Hellberg?
Boro played a more conservative style under Rob Edwards, as he addressed the weaknesses Boro had defensively under Carrick. But when Hellberg arrived, as well as wanting to revert back to a high-intensity, possession-based attacking style, he also did a lot of analysis of the players he was inheriting and their strengths.
Hackney has spoken about Hellberg’s genius being his ability to give individuals the freedom to play to their strengths within a structured game plan. Ultimately, Hellberg took off the shackles and allowed Hackney to be ultra positive again.
How concerned should Evertonians be about his recent groin injury?
It’s hard to say. He’s had the odd injury in recent years, but nothing yet has been persistent or particularly troublesome. Hackney’s absence was certainly felt at the end of the season with this recent groin injury, though, and as much as they needed him back, he ultimately managed just 25 minutes at the end of the play-off final.
He should be fit for the start of pre-season, having recently posted videos to his Instagram of him working with private coaches during the summer months - as most players seem to do these days.
Boro could reportedly receive add-on payments if he makes it into the England team. We know he's played for the U21s, but do you think he could reach the senior team?
If he continues on his current trajectory, there’s no reason why he can’t. Having been part of the England under-21 squad, he’s known to the coaches at St George’s Park.
The difficulty will be the amount of quality young English central midfielders of a similar age who will all also want to be regulars for their country. Hackney must back himself, though, because, having represented Scotland U21s too, thanks to a grandparent, he’s so far resisted any attempts from the Scottish FA to have him switch allegiances and play for the Tartan Army.
Any areas of weakness that David Moyes should be looking to improve with him?
It ultimately depends how David Moyes and Everton want to use Hackney. Given the tempo of the Premier League in comparison to the Premier League, he may need a little time to settle and adapt.
If Moyes is wanting to develop Hackney into the complete midfielder, then the area you’d focus on for improvement would be his out of possession work. While he certainly isn’t lazy and certainly never shirks a challenge, that side of his game isn’t his strength.
If they want Hackney because of his positivity and want to continue to give him the freedom to drive Everton forward, then the area for improvement could be in his timing for arriving in the box, which could help him add even more goals to his game.
Finally, how do Boro fans feel about losing their top-performing player to Everton?
Naturally, we’re gutted to be losing a player of Hackney’s quality and importance - and particularly so because he’s a homegrown, Teesside talent who joined the club as a child and came right through the youth ranks to the first team.
That said, when Boro lost to Hull in the play-off final, we were all resigned to the fact that Hackney would almost certainly be leaving this summer.
He deserves his chance now to go and prove himself in the Premier League and, having turned down a move to Ipswich last summer when Boro accepted an offer, he effectively gave the club what felt like a bonus year because his dream was to win promotion and play in the Premier League with Boro.
That sadly didn’t happen, so Hackney leaves with the best wishes of everyone at Boro. We’ll all follow his journey with pride, in a similar way we still do with Marcus Tavernier at Bournemouth too.