Everton Signs Hayden Hackney as Spurs Break Transfer Record for Fernandes

Everton have finally dragged Hayden Hackney out of Middlesbrough after weeks of hard bargaining, sealing a deal that could climb to £25m and handing David Moyes the Championship midfielder he has chased for more than a year.

At the other end of the Premier League’s food chain, Tottenham have gone big. Very big. An £85m outlay on Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, a club-record statement that Roberto De Zerbi intends to build his Spurs midfield around a 21-year-old Portugal international.

Two very different clubs, two very clear bets on the future.

Hackney chooses Everton after drawn-out battle

This was a transfer Everton refused to let go.

Hackney, the Championship’s player of the year last season, has signed a five-year contract on Merseyside after Middlesbrough repeatedly pushed back against Everton’s advances. Boro rejected several offers as they clung to their £25m valuation, even with only 12 months left on the 24-year-old’s deal.

Crystal Palace’s interest helped stiffen their resolve. Hackney’s mind did the opposite. He wanted Everton, and made it clear.

“As soon as I spoke to the manager, as soon as I knew Everton were interested, it was always going to be Everton,” he said after the move was confirmed. “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.”

Everton will pay an initial £16.5m, with the rest tied up in add-ons that include the prospect of Hackney breaking into the England senior side. For a club still walking a tightrope financially, it is a calculated gamble on a player they believe can grow with them.

Hackney arrives with pedigree. He was part of the England squad that won the European Under-21 Championship in 2025 and captained Middlesbrough, carrying the responsibility of their midfield while sharpening the all-round game Moyes covets.

“I think fans can expect a bit of everything from me – attacking and defensively,” Hackney said. “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.”

The move also reunites him with a manager who has had his name ringed for some time. Moyes wanted Hackney last summer but turned to other areas of the squad when a deal proved too complex. He has now got his man.

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

Everton, who are also close to signing winger Tyrique George from Chelsea, are reshaping the core of their side around younger, resale-friendly talent. Hackney fits that template perfectly. The question now is how quickly he can translate Championship dominance into Premier League authority.

Spurs go all-in on Mateus Fernandes

If Everton’s move for Hackney feels like smart, targeted squad building, Tottenham’s capture of Mateus Fernandes lands in a different bracket entirely: marquee.

Spurs have paid £85m to prise the midfielder from West Ham, smashing their transfer record for a player De Zerbi has long admired. At 21, Fernandes already carries the weight of expectation that comes with both a huge fee and an international career with Portugal.

His path to north London has been brisk. He came through at Sporting, took his first Premier League steps with Southampton in 2024-25, then joined West Ham last August. One season later, Spurs decided they had seen enough.

De Zerbi made no secret of why he pushed so hard.

“I’ve admired Mateus for a long time because he combines quality on the ball with the intensity and intelligence that are so important in the way we want to play,” the Spurs head coach said. “Despite his age, he already has good experience in the Premier League and has shown quality and consistency at this level.”

This is a manager who builds his teams around brave, technically secure midfielders willing to take the ball under pressure and drive games forward. Fernandes, in De Zerbi’s eyes, ticks all of those boxes.

The player himself sounded every inch the modern, ambitious signing.

“I’m very excited for this next step. Spurs is a massive club and the head coach was a key part of why I have decided to join,” he said. “When we spoke it was very special. We look at football in the same way – going on to the pitch as a strong team, with fight and energy, to try and win every game. I can’t wait to get started, to meet the fans, to meet everyone, and give everything for the club.”

De Zerbi doubled down on the qualities he believes will justify the price.

“Mateus is comfortable under pressure, can progress the ball, works hard for the team and has the courage to make things happen in difficult moments,” he said. “I believe this is the ideal environment for him to continue his development and I’m excited to start working with him.”

For Spurs, this is not just about adding another midfielder. It is about handing De Zerbi a centrepiece and sending a message to the rest of the league: this project will be built on technical risk-takers, and it will not be done on the cheap.

Two midfielders. Two clubs at different stages of their rebuild.

Hackney arrives at Everton with the promise of Premier League debut and the weight of being the next Championship success story under Moyes. Fernandes walks into Spurs as the most expensive player in the club’s history, expected to shape a new era under De Zerbi.

Both moves are bold. By the end of the season, we will know which gamble truly changed a club’s direction.