Hero's welcome for Hackney after he turns down Ipswich

HAYDEN Hackney was given a hero’s welcome on Saturday when he came on for the final half an hour against Deportivo la Coruna.

- By CRAIG JOHNS

That he was even at the game was a surprise because in the 48 hours prior to it, he'd travelled to Suffolk to discuss a potential move to Ipswich Town.

It followed an agreement with Middlesbrough over a transfer that would have been worth £20m in total and also included a significant sell-on fee clause.

The show of appreciation from supporters to the Teessider was because news broke shortly after that he had in fact turned down Ipswich’s advances.

With Hackney thought to be on his way out though, Boro were already starting to make moves in the transfer market of their own, with a clear need to add to Rob Edwards’ squad.

Having already signed Alfie Jones and Abdoulaye Kante, they've also landed Callum Brittain from Blackburn Rovers.

Asked earlier in the week about Hackney’s situation, Edwards described it as “win-win”. If Hackney turned down Ipswich - which he ultimately now has - then Boro get to keep a superb player. There’s a reason Ipswich were going to pay close to a Championship record fee for him.

The flipside of that was, if he did go, Boro then had a considerable amount of money in to help them reinvest in the team.

In preparation for Hackney’s departure, it's understood they already had a replacement ready to go, while the money would have helped secure two or more signings on top as well. Clearly, there are still a number of gaps that need filling in Edwards’ squad.

With Hackney opting not to leave Boro for a fellow Championship club though, Boro are needing to reevaluate their incoming business.

With Brittain now signed, beyond that, it’s not yet certain what budget they'll have to do much else until either another club comes in for Hackney, or Rav van den Berg - currently attracting interest from Feyenoord and Koln among others - is sold. The sooner there's resolutions, the better.

Boro had this week submitted an offer for long-term left wing-back target Max Arfsten from Columbus Crew.