‘Big disappointment’ named as transfers for two Middlesbrough players mooted, ‘Boro have to do it’

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Middlesbrough ended 2024/25 in disappointing fashion and the summer transfer window hasn’t gotten off to a much better start.

Boro parted ways with Michael Carrick after they failed to make the play-offs for the second season in a row, finishing 10th.

Incomings have been few and far between since the window opened, with two U21 signings the only new additions at the Riverside Stadium so far.

And with Premier League football once again eluding the Teessiders for another year, it’s become clear some of their top stars could leave in the current transfer window.

Exits for two of those Middlesbrough players have now been discussed this week, with one journalist outlining the ‘big disappointment’.

Hayden Hackney and Rav van den Berg leaving Middlesbrough discussed

We confirmed earlier this month that Hayden Hackney is changing agents ahead of a likely summer move.

Plenty of clubs are being linked with the Boro academy product, with Everton being the latest.

Meanwhile, Rav van den Berg has transfer interest as well after the likes of Fulham wanted to sign the centre-back last summer.

Now, journalist Scott Wilson has been discussing the ‘big disappointment’ of Hackney and Van den Berg potentially leaving Middlesbrough in the coming months.

He said on the latest You Are My Boro podcast: “Clearly, the big disappointment or, we’re saying this is as if they’re definitely out the door, they’re not definitely out the door yet. The disappointment is that the best years of their careers, almost certainly, are not going to be spent with Boro and that is a massive disappointment, but that’s just the reality of being a Championship football club isn’t it?

“Once a player gets to a certain level, unless you get promoted with them, you’re just not going to be able to hold on to them.

“Van den Berg will highlight the massive success and the wisdom of Boro’s kind of new transfer policy, their overarching transfer ideal – buy young promise, develop it, sell it on, happened with Morgan Rogers.

“There’s a bit of residual pride in watching Rogers strut his stuff in the Champions League. If Van den Berg turns out to be Holland’s next centre-half, which he very could easily be in 5-6 years time, there’ll be a bit of residual pride about the fact that he started his career with Boro.

“Clearly, the disappointing thing in all of this, and the inevitable way that Boro have to do it as a Championship club that need to raise revenue, is you don’t see their best years in a Boro shirt.”

Which clubs want to sign Rav van den Berg and Hayden Hackney

Unsurprisingly, given they are two of Middlesbrough’s top names with the most potential, the duo have a lot of interest.

As we covered earlier this year, a potential move to Germany for Van den Berg has been mooted, while Brentford’s interest in the stopper has re-emerged once again.

Elsewhere, on top of Everton, we shared this week that Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, FC Porto, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt and Atalanta have looked at the England U21 star.