England U-21 midfielder attracting bids from all over Europe

Before we get going with the rumours, here’s all of the rebuilding Arsenal stuff, in case anyone missed parts of it.

Newsletter part 1: On the state of the team, how they got here, who they need to give out contract extensions to, and who’s for sale.

Newsletter part 2: On who they’ve already bought, their rumoured incomings, and some alternatives if those signings don’t work out.

The podcast: Patrick and Ted share their thoughts on subjects from both newsletters, as well as some other rumours like Rodrygo, Hugo Ekitike and Maghnes Akliouche.

Hayden Hackney had an outstanding season in the Championship for Middlesbrough next season, and he’s got a unique skillset that tons of teams are in serious need of. He was the best young player in the division at progressing the ball from the middle to the final third, both with his passing and dribbling.

Please enjoy this highlight video (you will enjoy it a lot).

There aren’t a lot of midfielders anywhere with Hackney’s combination of deep progressions and D&C OBV. Just about every mid-table or Europa League-level team in England or on the continent could stand to add a player who put up these kind of numbers at Championship level.

So, why aren’t big clubs tripping over themselves to bid for Hackney? He’s not an outstanding defensive player from a deep-lying midfield position, with his positioning and tackling needing a bit of work. But his combination of decent size and athleticism with very good work rate suggests that he has plenty of capacity to improve in that department.

Everton are the latest club to be linked to Hackney, but this Sky Sports report details seven other clubs that have inquired this summer. They are: Brentford, Fulham, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Porto, Stuttgart, and Bayer Leverkusen.

Of the teams listed, I think Fulham might be the best stepping stone for his development. They’ve got a very talented slew of attacking midfielders for him to pass to, and not as much midfield talent blocking his path to minutes as the listed continental sides. But wherever he goes, I think he’s very much ready for the step up, and will establish himself as an excellent top flight player shortly.

More transfer rumours

• Nico Schira says Liverpool are “leading the race” to sign Hugo Ekitike, which would make sense given some of the other striker dominoes that appear to be falling.

• Victor Osimhen has informed Napoli that he wants to return to Galatasaray, and they’d very much like to buy him. They don’t want to pay his release clause up front, but are negotiating with Napoli to pay the full value in installments. If that works out, Napoli would be willing and able to buy Darwin Núñez, which would make that Ekitike deal make a lot of sense.

• In very stupid news, Juventus do not want to pay Francisco Conceição’s €30m purchase option clause and have instead sent Porto a bid of €22m. Hey, rich club DOFs, if you’re reading this: Go offer Porto €30m for Conceição. Today. I don’t care if you don’t need a right winger. Mediocre wingers are going for €60m right now. Just buy this guy instead.

• Newcastle have agreed to a £52m fee with Forest for Anthony Elanga, and he’s expected to sign very soon.

• Last week, we asked if Tottenham should sign Mohammed Kudus or Eberechi Eze at the same price, or if they’d both be a waste of money. It appears that Spurs fans will be getting their least favored of the three results, because Eze looks set for Arsenal, while they remain in negotiations for Kudus despite having an initial bid rejected.

• Man United and Saudi club Al Qadsiah are both interested in Fiorentina striker Moise Kean, who has a £45m release clause that expires on July 15. Kean is going to be as good as the playmaking behind him; he gets into the box and shoots from close while providing nothing else.

• Bayern Munich would like to sign Luis Diaz, but will not pay more than €60m. I think this means that Liverpool will not sell him.

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