Middlesbrough urged to rival Coventry City for Sunderland transfer if Hayden Hackney goes | OneFootball

Middlesbrough manager to hang onto Hayden Hackney in the summer, but with another transfer window soon upon us, the rumours have started again.

All things considered, 2025-26 has so far been a successful season for Middlesbrough.

They're second in the Championship table, having lost just three of their first 21 games, with a comfortable-looking seven-point buffer between themselves and third place.

They survived the sudden and unexpected departure of Rob Edwards to Wolves in November, and his replacement Kim Hellberg has managed to maintain their early-season progress.

One of their biggest successes of the season has been midfielder Hayden Hackney, who has continued to excel in the centre of their midfield.

Hackney came close to leaving The Riverside Stadium in the summer, but ended up staying instead and has been a huge influence on their excellent first half of the season. But with the January transfer window now looming, predators are starting to circle and it's entirely possible that Middlesbrough could need a replacement for him by the end of next month.

"They would be perfect" - Middlesbrough urged to aim high, should Hayden Hackney leave in January

With all of this in mind, Football League World have asked our Middlesbrough fan pundit Liam Day who he'd want as a replacement, should Hayden Hackney leave in the January transfer window, and Liam acknowledges that Hackney will be a tough act to follow: "I think it will be near impossible for us to sign a direct replacement for Hayden Hackney. I think he's got such key attributes in dribbling and passing throughout the midfield."

Liam had two names in mind when it came to a potential replacement, the first of whom was also subject to a lot of transfer speculation over the summer: "It could be unrealistic, but could you ask Dortmund for a Jobe Bellingham loan, maybe? I think that would be a good option. He's not getting much game-time. It probably does feel like he's above the Championship, but it might be something we could look at."

The second name that sprang to his mind was another player who helped to get Sunderland into the Premier League at the end of the 2024-25 season: "Also, Dan Neil at Sunderland. Again, it might be unrealistic, but we took Alan Brown off their hands. He's not getting much game time there and he'll be keen for game time. He just got Sunderland promoted. I wouldn't mind seeing him come in for either six months, or see if we can strike a permanent deal. I think that would be a perfectly fine replacement. They know the league."

But Liam also recognises that these are two players who would be ambitious targets for Middlesbrough, in the event that Hayden Hackney did end up leaving The Riverside Stadium in January: "The only issue is that I don't know how realistic they are, and I don't know whether either club would want to get rid. But if we could try and get a player with a bit of experience in this league, and one that's just got promoted, they would be perfect for that."

Middlesbrough will need to be ambitious, should they need to adequately replace Hayden Hackney

There's no question of how important Hayden Hackney has been to Middlesbrough's success this season. He's scored three goals and created five assists for them so far, and his performance ratings have been spectacular.

Hackney was subject to intense transfer speculation during the summer, but turned down a move to Ipswich Town after being given permission to speak to the club. Earlier in the summer, he'd signed a contract extension with the club to 2027, thereby ensuring that Middlesbrough would receive a more substantial transfer fee were he to leave the club over the following twelve months.

And the choices made by our Boro fan pundit are certainly ambitious, though this might not necessarily make them unrealistic. Jobe Bellingham was subject to a move that could be worth as much as £31 million from Sunderland to Borussia Dortmund in the summer, but he's struggled a bit for game time this season, with only five starts from 14 appearances in the Bundesliga and patchy match ratings when he has played for them. He was sent off for them against Freiburg at the weekend, which led to The Sun describing his time at the club so far as having been "a nightmare."

Dan Neil was also a regular in Sunderland's promotion-winning team. He opted to stay at The Stadium of Light during the summer and has paid a price for it. Neil made 47 appearances in the Black Cats' Championship play-off winning side last season, but has been usurped in the centre of their midfield by their summer rebuild and has only made two one-minute appearances for them in the Premier League so far this season, and one full appearance for them in the EFL Cup - he's since been linked with a move to Frank Lampard's Coventry City.

Either player would be ambitious targets for Boro, but the fact that they're in second place in the Championship might make them more appealing to players seeking game time. Jobe Bellingham has still been playing for Dortmund this season, and may be slightly out of Boro's league, but Dan Neill certainly does look like a potential move that could work well for all parties.

But the fact remains that whoever does replace Hayden Hackney will have big boots to fill at The Riverside Stadium. Hackney has been an excellent servant to the club, with over 130 appearances to his name, and his decision to stay at Boro last summer demonstrated that his imminent departure from the club might not even be a foregone conclusion just yet. But Middlesbrough need to be prepared for the possibility, and if Boro are to lose and adequately replace a player of that quality, they'll need to be ambitious.