Graham Potter is a man under pressure.
Since being appointed West Ham United manager in January, he has now won only five of 20 Premier League games in charge, starting this season with back-to-back heavy defeats, steamrollered 3-0 by Sunderland and then 5-1 by Chelsea.
In the latter, an ignominious annihilation in their home opener on Friday night, West Ham’s midfield was so easy to play against, with Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández given the freedom of East London to control the game and cause problems.
With the transfer window set to slam shut on Monday, Potter is in desperate need of midfield reinforcements, so could a “creative” EFL star be his man?
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On Saturday, somewhat out of left field, it was announced that Edson Álvarez had joined Fenerbahçe on a season-long loan.
The Mexican international made 28 Premier League appearances last season, of which 20 were starts, but was no longer in Potter’s plans, so has been shipped out to İstanbul.
Meantime, a report by the Times claims that West Ham have ‘rejected an approach’ from Everton for Tomáš Souček, as David Moyes hopes to be reunited with the Czechia international on Merseyside.
Now 30 years old, the Hammers should surely consider cashing in on Souček, especially if they’re able to secure a replacement.
Well, according to Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian, West Ham are considering a move for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.
Earlier this month, Boro had agreed a £20m deal to sell Hackney to Ipswich, which would have become a Championship record fee, but the 23-year-old turned down the move to Suffolk, purportedly in the hope that a Premier League would come in for him.
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Well, that patience might just pay off, so will he soon swap Teeside for East London?
What Hayden Hackney would bring to West Ham
Hackney has been on Middlesbrough’s books since the age of nine, debuting in January 2021, making 117 appearances for the first team to date, scoring 11 goals and bagging ten assists.
His performances in the EFL Championship have earned international recognition too, part of England’s victorious under-21 squad this summer, featuring in four of the six matches, including starting the goalless draw with Slovenia at Štadión pod Zoborom.
U21s manager Lee Carsley believes he has “evolved” in recent seasons, adding that Hackney is capable of operating both as a “creative” midfielder, while also able to be deployed deeper, impressed by his “leadership” qualities.
Meantime, Ashwin Raman asserts that he is “on another planet” when it comes to progressing the ball forwards, while Boro boss Rob Edwards praised his “excellent” duel-winning ability and “brilliant” quality following a 3-0 win over Millwall at the Den, in which Hackney scored the afternoon’s opening goal.
So, it is clear the young Englishman is a promising talent, but how does he compare to the man he might be replacing in East London, Souček?
Let’s assess the pair to answer that question.
Appearances
43
35
Minutes
3,794
2,570
Goals
5
9
Assists
3
1
All stats below are on a per-90 basis:
Shots
1.4
1.6
Shots on target %
42%
40%
Chances created
1.6
0.5
Big chances created
0.21
0.03
Passes completed
61.9
24.9
Forward passes
25.3
11.3
Pass completion %
85%
75%
Duels contested
10.9
11.7
Ground duels won
4.6
2.7
Interceptions
0.8
0.8
Ball recoveries
6.7
2.3
Touches
90
47
Average rating
7.21
7.02
First and foremost, it’s worth acknowledging that Hackney was playing at a lower level in the Championship although not by much, with Global Football Rankings believing England’s second-tier to be the seventh-strongest league in the world.
That caveat aside, the Boro man comes out on top for the vast majority of metrics included.
Despite scoring fewer goals, the Englishman is much more of a creative threat, boasting better statistics in terms of assists and chances created.
Meantime, Hackney’s out-of-possession numbers are comparable if not better, namely when it comes to interceptions, duels and ball recoveries.
Most noteworthy of all though is his in-possession numbers, completing more than double Souček’s passes and forward passes, as well as averaging almost double the number of touches per 90.
Thus, Hackney is able to produce Souček’s defensive solidity, while adding some attacking quality, something West Ham are severely lacking right now, highlighting that he would be an excellent addition for Potter’s struggling team.
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