- Everton have had two bids rejected as Middlesbrough hold firm at £25m
- Crystal Palace are now preparing to meet Boro’s valuation where Everton have not
- How Moyes and the Friedkin Group respond will define this summer’s ambitions
Everton’s pursuit of Hayden Hackney has stalled before it has really started. Whether the Friedkin Group are willing to bridge the gap will say more about this summer than any press release ever could.
It has been widely reported that TFG have promised David Moyes backing this summer. The manager, for his part, has spoken about the importance of those above him remaining patient and supportive. All very encouraging. And now, barely a week into the window, here we are – already finding out whether any of it was worth the breath.
Everton’s opening approaches for Boro midfielder Hackney have been firmly rebuffed. According to Sky Sports, the clubs remain well apart on valuation – Everton having gone in at £12m and then £15m, with both offers rejected.
Middlesbrough want £25m and have been clear that they will only sell if their price is met, or wave him goodbye for nothing when his contract runs out. It is a hardline stance. It is also, frankly, a fair one.
A player worth the fuss
It is not hard to see why Moyes wants him. Hackney was voted Championship Player of the Season, chipping in with five goals and seven assists in 39 appearances, and bringing exactly the sort of energy, technical quality and positional intelligence that Everton’s midfield has too often gone without.
With Idrissa Gana Gueye’s contract expiring this month, finding a replacement – ideally a better one – is not a nice-to-have. It is a necessity. At 23, Hackney is the kind of player you build around, not patch gaps with.
None of which changes the fact that Everton are currently offering roughly half of what Boro are asking.
The bigger picture
Twenty-five million pounds is not a mad fee for a midfielder of Hackney’s profile in the current market. Steep, yes. Eyebrow-raising, not really. It is not the kind of number that should have a Premier League club – one with shiny new owners and loudly stated ambitions – shuffling its feet and hoping Boro blink first. And yet, here we are.
Worse, they may not have the luxury of time. Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Tottenham are all sniffing around, and Palace are now said to be readying a bid close to £20m – actually prepared to meet Boro’s valuation in a way Everton have not yet managed.
Hackney may well fancy a move to Merseyside, but player preference tends to wilt pretty quickly when one club is writing cheques, and another is still arguing about the price.
The Friedkin Group arrived with the right words. Ambition. A new era. Proper backing. But words are easy. What matters now is whether, when handed a straightforward test – meet a fair asking price for a player their own manager clearly wants – the answer is to get on with it. Or to dither while Crystal Palace nip in.
Early days, of course. It is always early days at this point. And yet somehow this already feels very Everton.
