Everton completed the signing of Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee in July 2026.

The central midfielder, who turned 24 the previous month, signed a five-year contract with the Blues, keeping him at the Club to the end of June 2031.

Hackney rose through the ranks at hometown club Middlesbrough, before establishing himself as a key player and captaining his side during a standout 2025/26 campaign, which culminated in Everton’s new recruit being named Championship Player of the Season.

After choosing the Toffees over a host of other clubs to become manager David Moyes’ first signing of the 2026 summer transfer window, Hackney told evertontv: "I'm delighted to be here. As soon as I spoke to the manager, as soon as I knew Everton were interested, to be honest, it was always going to be Everton. It’s such a big club, with the new stadium and the direction it’s going in. I just wanted to be part of that.

"The manager's track record of bringing players from the Championship to the Premier League was a massive part of my decision as well. Hopefully I can be the next one to do it successfully for Everton.

"It feels like a good fit for me, for sure. I think it's a given that you work hard, you run, you make tackles. I'll be doing that.

"I think fans can expect a bit of everything from me – attacking and defensively. I think I can carry the ball well, arrive late in the box, and hopefully score some goals. I think there's plenty more to come from me. Obviously, I haven't played in the Premier League yet, so once I get used to that I think I can kick on from there.

"It was big for me to get it done before the start of pre-season. I wanted to be here on day one and do the whole pre-season with the lads. I can't wait for it. It helps with everything. Obviously, it's a new set of lads who I'll get used to and then also living down here. I'm delighted."

Born in Redcar, Hackney is eligible to represent both England and Scotland through his Edinburgh-born mother – twice turning out for the latter at Under-21 level.

He was later called up for England Under-21s and made 13 appearances, scoring one goal, in total for the Young Lions, while being part of the side that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championships in 2025.

"It feels like signing for Everton is ideal timing," added Hackney. "I feel that last season really developed me more as a player in all aspects of my game.

"Obviously, I thank Middlesbrough for the time that I was there, which was unbelievable, but now I feel ready and feel it's time to make the change and I'm really looking forward to it.

"There are some unbelievable players here and the competition is going to be tough but I'm ready to get going and to compete."

Everton boss David Moyes said: “Hayden is a promising young player who we’ve been tracking for some time, and I’m looking forward to working with him.

“We’ve had a track record over the years of identifying players in the Championship who have gone on to do really well for us and been good investments. We hope that will be the case with Hayden, too.

“He’s an England Under-21 international who will provide greater competition in midfield, which is something I wanted going into the new season.”

Contracted until: June 2031