Everton are closing in on their first signing of the summer with Hayden Hackney set to come in from Middlesbrough.
After a couple of weeks of seemingly no progress, a deal was agreed on Monday for the midfielder’s transfer to Hill Dickinson Stadium.
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Hackney will complete his move for a fee of around £25 million in total.
It’s a big boost for Everton, as plenty of clubs were in for Hackney following his impressive campaign in 2025/26 with Boro, which culminated in him winning the Championship Player of the Season award.
It is now just a matter of time before he’s announced, and he can then start preparing for the new season.
And with the move all but sealed, David Moyes really doesn’t have any excuse.
Hayden Hackney should be an Everton starter from the off
While some had wanted this deal done a couple of weeks ago, the club are still getting it done nice and early.
It means that Hackney will be here for the very start of Everton’s pre-season, which will be invaluable for him in terms of settling in.
Realistically, Moyes surely has to consider using Hackney as a starter from the off.
If this deal was being completed close to that first game against Crystal Palace, then it would perhaps make sense to go with another option.
But with Everton’s pre-season training starting next week, Hackney now has about eight weeks to adapt and develop in line with Moyes’ plans and tactics.
And certainly, if Everton announce that Idrissa Gana Gueye’s contract is not being extended, then Hackney will surely be primed to start alongside James Garner in that first game.
It will be important for Moyes to give their midfield partnership a chance to blossom straight away.
We have seen Moyes be quite cautious when it comes to playing new signings.
And some of the newer players are actually still waiting for a proper chance under the Scot, such as Tyler Dibling and Adam Aznou.
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But Hackney is 24 and has quite a lot of experience in the game already, even though he’s not yet played in the Premier League.
He should not be held back, especially when he is being signed this early.
Obviously, there is the notion that other players may look better than him in training. But if they’re all at a similar level, then it wouldn’t make sense to put Hackney on the bench.
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