How Middlesbrough really feel about replacing Hayden Hackney with Liverpool star | OneFootball

Middlesbrough are not expected to pursue Liverpool's Stefan Bajcetic as they step up their search for Hayden Hackney's replacement.

Middlesbrough are set for a summer rebuild under Kim Hellberg after they missed out on promotion last season.

Boro enjoyed a fine start to the campaign under Rob Edwards, and his controversial decision to leave for Wolves didn’t derail the season, with Hellberg doing a fine job as his successor, playing a more attractive brand of football as well.

However, the Teesside outfit failed to capitalise on the ‘Spygate’ fallout that saw them advance to the play-off final, with a late Oli McBurnie goal sending Hull to the Premier League at Boro’s expense.

Middlesbrough will not sign Stefan Bajcetic as Hayden Hackney replacement

As soon as the final whistle blew at Wembley, all connected to Middlesbrough knew that Hayden Hackney’s departure was on the cards.

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The midfielder was a class act last season, where he was deservedly named as Player of the Year in the entire division.

With his contract entering the final year, it was inevitable that he would move on, and it’s Everton who have won the race for the 24-year-old, in a deal that could be worth up to £25m.

Those funds will help Hellberg and the recruitment team as they go about reshaping the squad, and bringing in at least one new midfielder will be a priority.

However, it appears that links to Liverpool’s Stefan Bajcetitc are wide of the mark, after reports suggested he could arrive at the Riverside as Hackney’s replacement.

Yet, This Is Anfield has revealed that there is ‘no interest’ in signing the youngster on a loan deal or a permanent basis from Boro’s side.

Bajcetic had been very highly-rated at Anfield, and he even featured for the first-team under Jurgen Klopp, but his career has stalled in recent years.

A combination of terrible luck with injuries and poor loan spells at Salzburg and Las Palmas mean Bajcetic hasn’t kicked on in the way many expected, although he’s clearly got time on his side to fulfil his undoubted potential.

Middlesbrough must use the Hayden Hackney money wisely this summer

This would’ve been an interesting move, as Bajcetic is a very good technical footballer, which are qualities that Hellberg would appreciate, so you could’ve seen him play an important role in the middle of the park.

Having said that, there are obvious issues to this potential deal, as Bajcetic has seriously struggled with injuries over the years, and he missed the entire 2025/26 campaign.

So, it would be a massive risk for Boro to sign Bajcetic, as whilst he is ready for pre-season, he is going to take time to get up to speed after such a lengthy absence.

Clearly, they need to bring in quality to replace Hackney, and, as outlined above, that position is such a crucial one for the way that Hellberg plays.

Whilst losing the academy graduate is a massive blow, it’s something that the club have been preparing for, and, if they use the money wisely, there’s no reason why the overall Boro squad won’t be better when the new season comes around.

Now, the challenge for those involved with recruitment is to get this summer right, and it will be intriguing to see who is the Hackney replacement, and where Bajcetic ultimately does end up, even if it won’t be Middlesbrough.