Tottenham could strike gold by signing Hayden Hackney, he’s the ‘best young player’ at Middlesbrough
Tottenham could soon add another impressive young player to their ranks in the form of Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.
It is fair to say that Spurs have several promising youngsters on their books right now. Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie, Pape Matar Sarr, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson and Micky van de Ven are all 24 and under, and all of them are key players in Ange Postecoglou’s first-team setup.
While there have been some short-term hiccups in recent weeks, the bigger picture reveals that the club is building a team for the future, and they could now reportedly add another impressive cog to that well-oiled Australian machine in north London.
According to the Daily Mail (12 December), Spurs are one of several ‘top-six’ clubs tracking Boro midfielder Hackney, with the report claiming that the Lilywhites are among those “most interested” in the 21-year-old, having sent scouts to watch him more closely in recent months.
Several clubs lower down in England’s top flight are also tracking the youngster and are expected to test the Championship club’s resolve in January, but Hackney himself would reportedly prefer to remain at the Riverside Stadium until the end of the season.
With four years left to run on his deal, Boro will be confident of generating a handsome fee for Hackey, who the Daily Mail’s report describes as the club’s “best young player,” and a deeper dive suggests that it is hard to disagree with this assessment.
Although he is still just 21, Hackney is already approaching 100 career appearances and is currently the subject of a tussle between England and Scotland, with both nations hoping he will one day represent them at senior level, with the midfielder having already starred for them both in the Under-21 ranks.
Hackney has started 16 Championship matches this season, grabbing a goal across those starts, while he has also started all four of his side’s Carabao Cup wins, notching an assist on route to Boro’s quarter-final showdown with Port Vale later this month.
In addition to his contributions at club level, Hackney has featured heavily for England’s Under-21s this year, starting all five of the nation’s UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying matches, assisting a goal in the recent 3-0 victory over Serbia Under-21s.
His club manager, Michael Carrick, spoke on his recent performance with England’s youth team (Teesside Live, 25 November), “I’m delighted for Hayden. He’s had another good couple of games away with England. He’s settled in very well when he’s gone there. I watched the games, and he looks at home at that level, which is a really good sign.”
Carrick went on, with his words showcasing just how much belief he has in the player.
“Every time there’s been a challenge or a step up for him, he’s taken to it naturally. He’s done that ever since I came here. He’s full of potential, there’s loads more to come from him. He’s doing great and I really enjoy working with him.
“He’s a big part of the team, and it’s fantastic for the club to have players come through the academy like that and be recognised by their national team. He’ll continue to have a big part to play in the first team, and I think that’s what the academy is all about. Hayden is the shining light of that at the moment.”
It is not hard to see why Carrick holds the midfielder in such high regard after a closer examination of some of his numbers this season, numbers which suggest he could be a perfect fit for Postecoglou.
As per fbref, Hayden is in the top two per cent of his positional peers in the Championship so far during the current campaign when it comes to the number of carries he has made (57.29 per 90) and the top four per cent for his progressive carrying distance (148.2 yards per 90) and touches in the middle third (54.66 per 90).
His passing stats are arguably even more impressive, with Hayden ranking in the top one per cent of midfielders in the Championship this year for the number of passes he has made into the final third (9.01 per 90), as well as the top five per cent for the number of progressive passes he has made (8.19 per 90).
These are all features of a midfielder’s game which Postecoglou looks for, and if Spurs were able to pull off this signing, it would be incredible to watch the player Hayden could become under the guidance of the 58-year-old’s coaching.
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