Hackney joins Everton in £24m deal

Everton have signed midfielder Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough for £24m; the 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract on Merseyside; he had only one year left on his contract at the Riverside Stadium

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>Everton have completed the signing of midfielder Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough in a £24m deal.

>Sky Sports News understands the fee is comprised of £16.5m up front, with potential add-ons taking it closer to £24m.

>Hackney has signed a five-year deal on Merseyside.

>The 24-year-old, who was named Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season for 2025/26, had only one year left on his deal at the Riverside Stadium.

>Everton boss David Moyes had made signing a new No 6-type midfielder a priority this summer.

>"Hayden is a promising young player who we've been tracking for some time, and I'm looking forward to working with him," said Moyes.

>"We've had a track record over the years of identifying players in the Championship who have gone on to do really well for us and been good investments. We hope that will be the case with Hayden, too.

>"He's an England U21 international who will provide greater competition in midfield, which is something I wanted going into the new season."

>Had Middlesbrough been promoted to the Premier League back in May, they would probably have fancied their chances of having their prized asset, their hometown hero, lead them there.

>But losing out to Hull in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley meant they had little to no hope of keeping hold of him. And with just a year remaining on his contract, they have reluctantly cashed in.

>The 24-year-old had been attracting the attention of top-flight clubs for some time. Manchester United were reportedly admirers, along with Brentford and Crystal Palace. Take a quick glance at his numbers from 2025/26 and it's easy to see why.

>Hackney played a crucial role in Boro's promotion push and, after the 1-1 draw with Bristol City on March 14, sat second in the table, seven points behind leaders Coventry.

>But he missed the final eight games with a groin injury, during which time Kim Hellberg's side picked up only 10 points, meaning they finished fifth, four points adrift of eventual runners-up Ipswich.

>He returned to the bench for the final - with Southampton thrown out after the Spygate saga - and was roared on when he came on with 20 minutes to play. But he could do nothing to sway the game in favour of Boro, who will forever wonder 'what if?'

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