Middlesbrough FC tipped to follow Brentford, Brighton blueprint with Hayden Hackney sale | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit shared his thoughts on Hayden Hackney, who was the subject of transfer speculation once again on deadline day

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Hayden Hackney remains a man in demand and Middlesbrough have been tipped to potentially follow the transfer blueprint of Brighton and Brentford, both of whom have upwardly progressed through selling prized assets at a premium price in recent years.

The 22-year-old academy product has been a star in the Championship for the last three seasons now, but is arguably producing his finest form this campaign as Middlesbrough bid to secure a finish inside the top-six.

Hackney's performances have not slipped under the radar and the midfielder has been linked to a number of Premier League clubs in recent months, including the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle United.

On deadline day, meanwhile, it was revealed that Boro had turned down a second offer from Portuguese giants FC Porto, believed to be in the region of £10 million.

Michael Carrick's side are swiftly developing a reputation for developing talent and gaining a considerable cash injection as a result, with significant fees having been collected for both Morgan Rogers and, of course, Emmanuel Latte Lath in the last year.

As a graduate of the club's academy, Hackney would be declared as 100 per cent profit for Boro, who have been tipped to follow the progressive selling model of upwardly-mobile Premier League sides such as Brentford and Brighton if they fall short of achieving promotion to the top-flight themselves come the end of the campaign.

Transfer verdict offered on Middlesbrough FC's Hayden Hackney

FLW asked our Boro fan pundit, Jasper Hudson, whether he believes Hackney will leave the Riverside Stadium in the summer if the side fail in their promotion push.

Jasper does not envisage Hackney forcing through a departure, or Middlesbrough actively trying to move him on for that matter, but he can see a world where the club sees a sum too good to turn down.

"I don't think Hackney would look for a move away," Jasper told FLW.

"If an offer came in from a big club, a step-up, then he could take it and the club would have to negotiate it like they did with Latte Lath.

"It's similar to the Brentford and Brighton model as in nobody is not for sale, you obviously have players you want to keep and he's one of them, having also gone through the academy, but when big money comes in that's the purpose of trying to build the squad over time to get promoted to the Premier League and stay up.

"So I don't think we would look to sell him or he would look to leave, but if teams watch his performances they might come in for him. If they do, they'll have to make a fairly big offer to match the club's valuation, he has a lot of things going for him so I don't think he would look for a move.

"But you have to accept good players are going to be subject to transfer interest, and especially if we don't get promoted, there will be more teams who are a step-up and that he could move to."

Hayden Hackney's 24/25 stats for Middlesbrough FC

It's little wonder Hackney continues to be the subject of intense and appealing top-level transfer interest, with his all-action midfield displays offering a real driving force behind Boro's push for promotion.

Despite being on the losing side, Hackney starred in Boro's 3-2 defeat to local rivals Sunderland on Monday evening as he grabbed a goal and an assist from midfield.

Hackney's eye for goal as a central midfielder is impressive, while his ability to regain possession and break defensive lines with his forward passing and ball-carrying quality is vital to the way Carrick likes his side to play on the front foot.

He's indispensible at this moment in time and Boro were right to reject advances in the winter window, but they will find it extremely difficult to retain his services if they fail to return to the Premier League.