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Middlesbrough’s perfect start to the Championship campaign is cause for celebration, but there is the issue of Hayden Hackney’s future still to resolve.
Rob Edwards was written off before the season even began, but Middlesbrough have won three out of three and currently sit in second place in the Championship table.
Hayden Hackney has been a standout performer for Boro so far, but his strong displays have caught the eye of both West Ham and Fulham of late.
Middlesbrough are braced for further offers for their star man, and if he does move on, they’ll need to find someone to replace him. We expect there to be £20m to spend when Hackney does go, but Boro can fill the void for far less than that.
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Who can replace Hayden Hackney at Middlesbrough?
Lukas Cerv
First up, we have Lukas Cerv, who is currently plying his trade for Viktoria Plzen in his native Czechia. The midfielder can operate fairly deep, while also having the scope to roam forward with the ball, just like Hackney.
After Plzen crashed out of the Champions League qualifying rounds at the hands of Rangers, there’s every chance Cerv will be looking to make the move to England and take the next step in his career.
He was previously mooted as a target for Norwich City, but they’ve since signed highly-rated Serbian midfielder Mirko Topic. With no other clubs standing in their way, and a reasonable valuation of around £3.8m (as per Transfermarkt), Boro should be keeping close tabs on Cerv.
Mathias Rasmussen
For a much cheaper option, Middlesbrough could make a move for Mathias Rasmussen, who currently carries a price tag of less than £2m (as per Transfermarkt).
Like Cerv, Rasmussen is fairly defensive-minded, and admittedly, he wouldn’t offer as much creativity as Hackney, but in terms of bringing stability and bite to the midfield, Boro could do far worse.
The Norwegian international has been with Union SG for a couple of years now, and while they’ve started to make strides in continental competition, Rasmussen may well fancy showing what he can do in the English game.
He’s an adept passer of the ball, strong in the air, and is also a bit of a set-piece specialist. So, what you lose in goal contributions, you’re going to gain in creative play from further back.
Pelle Mattsson
Our final suggestion is a player we actually know a lot about, and it’s another former Norwich City target: Pelle Mattsson. At one stage, it was thought the Canaries preferred Mattsson to Topic, but they opted against the former in the end.
Mattsson does a lot of the dirty work in the midfield area, has a tireless engine, and is also thought to be a brilliant figure in the dressing room as well as a leader on the pitch.
Losing someone like Hackney will not only see Boro letting a top quality player go, but this is also a player who has a great influence on the team. Getting someone with the attitude and personality of Mattsson in could solve all of those problems.
When Norwich were linked to Mattsson it was said £2.6m would get a deal done. This late in the window, that fee could rise to closer to £3m, but it’s a bargain regardless.