The 2026/27 season is now firmly underway on Merseyside as Everton have confirmed the signing of Hayden Hackney.
Thursday morning saw a double Everton announcement, with the new home kit being revealed just one hour before Hackney’s unveiling.
Solid work is going into pushing Everton in the right direction ahead of the new season getting underway next month.
What is your message to Hayden Hackney after he inks his contract with Everton? 👋
Welcome to Merseyside, Hayden! 🤩
Angus Kinnear helped to convince Hackney to join Everton, but it is actually former owner Farhad Moshiri who deserves a lot of credit.
What Hayden Hackney said upon joining Everton
Everton have agreed an initial fee of £16.5m for Hackney, with add-ons potentially taking the deal to over £20m.
The Toffees were able to beat a number of clubs to the signing of Hackney, as the midfielder made it clear why he wanted to make the move to Merseyside.
“I’m delighted to be here. As soon as I spoke to the manager, as soon as I knew Everton were interested, to be honest, it was always going to be Everton,” Hackney told the Everton website.
Now Hackney is confirmed, who should Everton be bringing in next? 💰
Time to take our foot off the brake pedal in the market…
“It’s such a big club, with the new stadium and the direction it’s going in. I just wanted to be part of that.”
David Moyes has been delighted with Hackney’s arrival following weeks of club-to-club negotiations.
Following positive talks with the Everton representatives and Moyes, the 23-year-old admitted he was also swayed by the prospect of playing at the state-of-the-art Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Why Everton have Farhad Moshiri to thank for Hackney’s signing
The new stadium has proven to be somewhat of a game changer for Everton when it comes to the club’s finances.
It is going to be a slow process when it comes to the revenue impacting Everton’s ability to spend in the market, but it has been an encouraging start to life at the Hill Dickinson.
The Friedkins wanted to buy Everton because of the new stadium that was built under the ownership of Moshiri.
And the 52,000-seat stadium is proving just as attractive to the prospective transfer targets.
Everton are attracting some lucrative events to host at their new stadium, but they are also witnessing players cite the new ground as a reason towards their decision to join.
Everton News columnist Alan Myers shared Moshiri’s delight at returning to the Hill Dickinson Stadium earlier in the season.
The former Everton owner has been spotted on Merseyside a number of times throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
There will undoubtedly be a number of supporters who are not so fond of Moshiri, but it is clear the stadium he built is proving to be a huge success for the club.
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