Tottenham Hotspur are among four Premier League clubs who are keeping tabs on Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, according to the Daily Mail.
Scouts from all four clubs have been keeping a close eye on the 21-year-old with the report claiming that Nottingham Forest also have shown interest in the player. However, a January move is extremely unlikely.
Predominantly a defensive midfielder who has also filled in as a number 8 or 10 on the odd occasion, Hackney has been instrumental for Michael Carrick’s team, appearing 20 times across all competitions (Transfermarkt).
The highly-rated youngster had a tough decision to make between representing Scotland and England. He eventually chose the latter, making his U-21 debut in a 3-0 win back in September.
Hackney expects to stay at the Riverside stadium
Despite interest from top Premier League teams, Hackney does not want to leave in January and would prefer to remain with Middlesbrough at least until the end of the season.
The Mail have made an interesting revelation that scouts from these clubs have frequently been spotted in attendance during Boro’s games and a few of them have not had representation since the 21-year-old suffered a hamstring issue at the end of the last month.
Spurs Musings Opinion
Something about Hackney seems to have caught the eye of all these Premier League clubs. However, at his age, what he needs is regular game time to keep developing.
Even if one of the aforementioned clubs manage to sign him in January, I fully expect them to loan him back to Middlesbrough for the rest of the season. I am not sure Spurs will pursue a move for him right now but if he was available in the summer, it could be a different story.