Hayden Hackney to Everton is inching closer after an agreement was finally reached on Monday.
After a few weeks of little happening, there has been a breakthrough, with Everton set to pay up to £25 million for the midfielder’s transfer.
It is now just a matter of finalising the move, with personal terms no issue.
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It has taken a little longer than many fans would have liked, but Everton are set to land a really talented midfielder, who won Championship Player of the Season for 2025/26.
It’ll be interesting to see how he gets on, and also what it could mean for the likes of Idrissa Gana Gueye, Charly Alcaraz, Tim Iroegbunam and Harrison Armstrong, who ironically has been linked with Middlesbrough.
As he closes in on a move to Hill Dickinson Stadium, here are the squad numbers that are currently available to Hackney.
The Everton squad numbers currently available to Hayden Hackney
Hackney currently wears #7 for Boro.
If he wanted to wear the same at Everton then he’ll be disappointed, because that shirt is currently occupied by Dwight McNeil.
Hackney has been known to wear the number six shirt for the England U21s, but that number is also taken at Everton, by James Tarkowski.
The following numbers up to 30 are vacant:
- 3 – last worn by Nathan Patterson before he switched to #2
- 4 – last worn by Mason Holgate, who left in 2025
- 8 – last worn by Orel Mangala during his loan spell in 2024/25
- 13 – last worn by Yerry Mina, who left in 2023
- 14 – last worn by Beto, before he switched to #9
- 21 – last worn by Andre Gomes, who left in 2024
- 25 – last worn by Jean-Philippe Gbamin, who left in 2023
- 26 – last worn by Tom Davies, who left in 2023
- 28 – last worn by Tom Cannon, who left in 2023
- 29 – last worn by Amadou Onana, who left in 2024
- 30 – last worn by Donny van de Beek during his loan spell in 2022
The number eight shirt may well appeal to Hackney as a typical central midfielder’s number.
There is also the possibility he could plump for one of the higher vacant numbers, while he gets comfortable, before later changing to one of the ‘starting’ numbers.
But it is of course not out of the question that Hackney could continue wearing the #7, given McNeil could yet leave Everton in this window.
As we all saw, McNeil came so close to leaving Everton for Crystal Palace in January before they pulled the plug when the deal looked as good as done.
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Moyes was clearly quite happy to let him go, so there’s surely a chance he could depart just months later.
West Ham United have shown interest in McNeil of late following their relegation from the Premier League so perhaps they might make an offer.
It would be no surprise, though, if Everton decided not to show Hackney holding up any number at his unveiling, just in case he does have his eye on that #7 shirt and McNeil hasn’t left the club.
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