Why Hayden Hackney may want to leave Middlesbrough for Fulham | OneFootball

Football League World exclusively revealed that Fulham are interested in the Middlesbrough midfielder.

Middlesbrough may have to fend off interest in Hayden Hackney during the January transfer window, with Fulham now plotting a move for Boro's midfield maestro.

There was much speculation over the 23-year-old’s future throughout the summer, with Ipswich Town seeing a £20 million bid for his services accepted by Boro.

Hackney ultimately snubbed a move to Portman Road, choosing to remain a Middlesbrough player for the first portion of this season at least.

That might not be the end of the story, however, as Football League World exclusively revealed that Premier League outfit Fulham are plotting a move for Hackney after watching him multiple times this season.

The midfielder has a contract at the Riverside until 2027, but that hasn’t stopped the Cottagers eyeing up a transfer for his services.

Amid this news, Football League World have listed some possible reasons which may motivate Hackney to pursue a Middlesbrough exit for Fulham.

Fulham can offer Hayden Hackney Premier League football - Middlesbrough currently can't

The first and most obvious reason Hackney would want to leave Middlesbrough is to play Premier League football.

Indeed, the Redcar-born box-to-box midfielder was reported to have informed Boro of his desire to seek a move to the Premier League in the summer, if an offer arrived for him before the window closed.

Over the past few seasons, the 23-year-old has established himself as one of the Championship’s best talents, and following mass speculation in the summer, it seems like only a matter of time before he makes a move to the top-flight.

Recent examples such as Adam Wharton have shown that if the ability is there, making the step from the second-tier to the Premier League won’t prove too testing, which will motivate Hackney even further to pursue a move.

If he feels ready to regularly compete at the highest level of English football, the Boro academy graduate won’t want to waste any more time performing at a lower level, even though he is a boyhood Boro fan and obviously loves representing his football club.

However, if Fulham present a reasonable offer for all parties involved, the prospect of instant top-flight football may prove too much for Hackney to turn down.

Fulham’s current midfield situation could present big chance for Hackney to make instant impact

Often, players from the Championship may question whether a move to the Premier League is worth it simply because of the level of quality found within most top-flight squads.

However, that isn’t the case in regard to Fulham’s midfield department, which could encourage Hackney to make a move.

Harrison Reed (30) and Tom Cairney (34) respectively, aren’t reliable options for Marco Silva in the long term, with both players now heading towards the twilight of their respective careers.

And with Sasa Lukic, an 18-year-old Joshua King and Sander Berge the only other available operators at this moment in time, Hackney’s presence in the Cottagers’ engine room would be more than welcome.

Therefore, this might motivate him to follow up on Fulham’s advances, as it presents him a realistic shot of establishing himself in a Premier League midfield straight from the off.

Fulham are also a side under Silva that want to play attractive football, and currently find themselves in the top-half of Premier League sides in average possession per game this season - per FotMob.

Hackney could be the perfect fit to adopt the pivot role in Silva's midfield, as he likes to do with Middlesbrough, dropping deep and even into defence at times in order to get on the ball, before looking to start attacks and progress play down the pitch for his team.

Hackney joined Middlesbrough at Under-10 level and has remained with the club ever since, slowly progressing through each stage of the academy before bursting into the first-team on a full-time basis in October 2022.

This is the dream trajectory for any player partaking in their footballing education, and the midfielder’s loyalty to Boro no doubt played a huge role in his decision to remain at the Riverside this summer.

The 2025/26 campaign will be the fourth season where Hackney has been a regular fixture in the North East side’s squad, and he may finally feel that it is time to pursue a new challenge as he moves closer towards the prime years of his career.

Although the 23-year-old will have a lot of love for Boro, he will surely wonder about what it would be like to play his football in a brand-new location, which would be the extremely attractive London in this scenario.

Hackney has given a great number of years of top-class service to Middlesbrough, but may feel the perfect time has come for him to pursue a fresh challenge, one which includes the guarantee of Premier League football.