Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards says midfielder Hayden Hackney is "fully committed" to the club despite being linked with a number of Premier League teams.

The 23-year-old England Under-21 international featured in Boro's 3-3 pre-season draw at Mansfield Town on Saturday.

"As far as I know and I'm aware at the moment, he's here and that's why he's out playing on the pitch," Edwards told BBC Radio Tees.

"He's fully committed, he loves this football club."

Another player who featured during the match was defender Darragh Lenihan, making his return to competitive football after almost two years out.

The Republic of Ireland international, capped four times by his country, has not featured since September 2023 after undergoing ankle surgery and Edwards is handling the 31-year-old's comeback with caution.

"He's getting there so we will keep building up the minutes," Edwards added.

"He's in a position where we are still always looking at what he's doing and trying to manage it but he wants to do everything.

"It's important we try to make some good decisions to try to keep him out there. It'll be a huge plus for us having a fit Darragh Lenihan."

Listen to the full interview with Rob Edwards and more on BBC Sounds.

Former West Ham striker Danny Ings, 32, is on the verge of joining Middlesbrough. (Luke Edwards, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.

"There's been some really unbelievably good games that I've watched, that I've played in for Middlesbrough."

Want to know what Neil Maddison's top five favourite Boro games are? The former Middlesbrough midfielder is recounting his top performances from the side with BBC Radio Tees' Mark Drury.

Do yours make the list?

Listen to the full ranking and more on BBC Sounds.

Middlesbrough defender Rav van den Berg, 21, is attracting attention from German sides Stuttgart, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg, with Brentford and Fulham also monitoring the Dutchman. (Sky Sports, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.

English striker Rhian Brewster, 25, is unlikely to re-sign for Sheffield United amid interest from Middlesbrough and recently promoted Premier League side Burnley. (EFL Analysis), external

Boro and the Clarets are also both being linked with a potential move for NEC Nijmegen winger Sontje Hansen, 23, but may face additional competition for the Dutchman from Wrexham. (Teesside Live), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Friday's gossip column here.

Everton have joined a throng of clubs keen on signing Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, with West Ham, Brentford, Fulham and Crystal Palace monitoring the 23-year-old, who is also attracting the interest of Porto, Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen. (Sky Sports, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip column here.

"Some areas need bolstering, others areas are in desperate need of new first choice players."

The Northern Echo's Dom Shaw joins BBC Radio Tees' Mark Drury to discuss the amount of work Middlesbrough need to do to their squad during the summer transfer window.

Listen via BBC Sounds here.

Out-of-contract Blackburn striker Tyrhys Dolan is attracting interest from clubs in Greece and Turkey, as well as Bristol City, Derby and Middlesbrough. (Alan Nixon, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.

Josh Coburn says it was the "right time" to leave Middlesbrough after he signed for Millwall last week.

The 22-year-old forward, who spent last season on loan with the Lions, spoke to BBC Radio Tees' Mark Drury to reflect on his time at the Riverside Stadium.

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Former Middlesbrough and England forward Alan Peacock has passed away at the age of 87.

Peacock is seventh on the club's list of all-time top scorers with 141 goals in 238 games.

He spent 10 years at Boro before joining Leeds in 1964 and helping them win promotion to the top tier, scoring 30 goals in 65 games for the Yorkshire club.

The striker also won six caps for England before being forced to retire at the age of 30 in 1968, after one season at Plymouth Argyle, because of a knee injury.

Peacock went on to work as part of Middlesbrough's matchday hospitality team and the club's foundation.

Listen to Alan Geddes remember his friend and colleague on BBC Sounds.

With rivals Leeds United and Sunderland rising to the Premier League, former Middlesbrough midfielder Neil Maddison feels that this season may seem lacking for Boro when it comes to the big derby game atmosphere.

"When you talk about games, fixtures, coming up that mean something, they've kind of disappeared," Maddison told BBC Radio Tees.

"The nearest one now, is it Hull? Or Sheffield Wednesday?

"It's a little bit of a disappointment that you haven't got a team that there's a little bit of a rivalry for both sets of fans. But it is what it is."

Middlesbrough missed out on a play-off spot in May, concluding their 2024-25 campaign in 10th place in the Championship table.

While Maddison believes the side will be looking to make amends with a better run this season, he also thinks there will be some dangerous teams looking to do the same.

"For me, the teams that missed out this season will be eager to get into the top six. Obviously, the teams that have come down will always be favourites to come back up, rightfully so," Maddison added.

"I think Norwich will be strong, I think they will come good.

"There will be a few clubs that will be aiming and trying to get into that mix and we will certainly be one of them - otherwise, what's the point?"

Listen to the full reaction and more on BBC Sounds.

The EFL fixture list is out and we know you are bursting to know what you've got to look forward to - or dread - from your team this upcoming season.

Here are some key dates to put in your diary:

• 9 August 2025 - v Swansea City (H)

• 16 August 2025 - v Millwall (A)

• 26 December 2025 - v Blackburn Rovers (H)

• 1 January 2026 - v Derby County (A)

• 2 May 2026 - v Wrexham (A)

See Middlesbrough's full fixture list here.

"Right from the word go, it feels like Boro have really seriously thought about what Rob Edwards will need around him."

The Northern Echo's Scott Wilson and The Gazette's Craig Johns join BBC Radio Tees to discuss Middlesbrough's new head coach - and the two men that will be at his side.

"Of all the new manager unveilings that we've been to, I can't really remember one where both of the new coaches and the new head of football were all in the same room at the same time," Wilson said.

"It very much feels like Boro have appointed a coaching team here as opposed to appointing a head coach and then just assembling the people around him as an afterthought.

"I think Aidy Viveash and Harry Watling are going to be key people in this. It's not just Rob Edwards coming in, he's coming into a three-man team that Boro have put together, they've never worked together."

Listen to the full thoughts and more on BBC Sounds.

Image source, PA Media

Rob Edwards has been named Middlesbrough's new head coach but will he be able to repeat the promotion success he found with former club Luton Town? Some of you are unconvinced.

Here's what you had to say about the appointment:

Guy: He's joining a club and fanbase that is crying out for a change - tactics, culture and personnel. I'll be happy to see us go to three at the back and hopefully never see a goalkeeper pass it three yards sideways or see a centre-half thinking he's Messi and dribbling across his own box again. Also the appointment of a clued-in, experienced Championship number two in Adrian Viveash is critical too.

Neil: This was an opportunity to really inject some enthusiasm into the fanbase but I can't help feel a tad underwhelmed. Feels very much like Carrick version two. Another coach who plays out from the back and seemingly has no plan B when things go wrong. Can see this being another Gary Monk-like situation.

David: A solid appointment but interested to see who the backroom staff will be. We need strength in depth in the coaching team. Some bite in the middle of the park wouldn't go amiss too. We were too polite under Carrick and lacked a real leader on the pitch. Hopefully there'll be an element of that brought in with Edwards. Happy to get behind him if we show improvement!

Tony: Can't see this being a great success but hopefully I will be proven wrong. Middlesbrough are a team in decline and getting a high profile manager would be impossible until we see an improvement in results. Expecting a difficult season.

Asme: Remains to be seen but I think the recruitment model is all wrong at the Boro, hence why he's the 'head coach', not manager. He may have a wishlist of players but 'others' have final say. May have something to do with why other managers with proven track records failed before.

Martin: Was never sure about Edwards since his name first got mentioned. Getting Luton promoted obviously makes him stand out but that was where it ended. Luton came down again and struggled thereafter. Luton were an exception to the rule when they went up and momentum was a big driver for them that season. Boro don't have that. The team is low on confidence. I would have preferred Steve Cooper but we have what we have and, as fans, we need to support Rob and the team or else we have no hope.

Christopher: I really liked Rob Edwards' first interview as Boro boss and I'm hoping he gets us playing exciting football and stop conceding sloppy goals. Our home form over the last three seasons has been awful to watch so it needs sorting out quickly. New keeper, defence needs improving and we need a top-class striker to play along side Tommy Conway. Best of luck to Rob Edwards and all the staff and players. UTB!

Your club will soon discover their schedule for the upcoming EFL season. As soon as Thursday, in fact.

Want to know who your side will face on opening day? The EFL fixtures will be announced at 12:00 BST - but that's not all.

The day will be rounded off by the first round of Carabao Cup being drawn at 16:30 BST.

So check back on 26 June to see who your team faces first, last and everything in between.

"It's a chance for a fresh start, isn't it?

"A clean slate for the club and for Rob Edwards, an opportunity to get his career back on track after the way it ended with Luton."

It's been knocking around the rumour mill for a while but now it is confirmed - Rob Edwards is Middlesbrough's new head coach.

Mark Drury and Neil Maddison join BBC Radio Tees' Rob Law as they discuss what Edwards can bring to Boro as well as hear from the fans on their thoughts towards the new man in charge.

While Edwards' last two seasons with Luton Town may be a concern for some, others believe his experience as a promotion-winning manager will be an asset for a team seeking a return to the Premier League.

"With Rob, he's been there, he's done it," Maddison said.

"He's had his ups and downs, don't get me wrong, but I think he would have learnt a lot from it.

"I'm certain that he'll want to put things right, he'll want to get back to winning ways and get this club back where things should be."

The show includes Edwards' first interview as Boro head coach.

You can listen to the full reaction and more on BBC Sounds.

Mark Drury
BBC Radio Tees Middlesbrough commentator

Image source, Rex Features

Middlesbrough's decision to appoint Rob Edwards as Michael Carrick's successor marks a change of direction in the Riverside dugout.

Carrick was a managerial rookie (three games as Manchester United's caretaker notwithstanding), while 42-year-old Edwards already knows what it takes to win promotion, once to League One with Forest Green Rovers and subsequently to the Premier League with Luton Town.

His success in reaching the top flight with the Hatters will undoubtedly have been an attraction for Boro, who are still searching for the right formula to return to English football's top table eight years after their relegation to the Championship in 2017.

Edwards is Boro's seventh permanent manager or head coach in that time, and the list of names in those eight years gives an insight into the varied approaches chairman Steve Gibson has employed as he tries to find the solution to the club's promotion woes.

We have seen rookie bosses in Carrick and Jonathan Woodgate (who was Carrick's assistant throughout his two and a half years in charge), veterans – Tony Pulis and Championship specialist Neil Warnock – as well as the men of their particular moments, Garry Monk and Chris Wilder.

What the appointment of Edwards does is fully align Boro's first-team management with the strategic vision of Kieran Scott, the club's head of football.

The pair have worked together in the past. Edwards was under-23s coach at Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Scott was part of the scouting team.

When Edwards began his senior managerial career, Scott went on to become head of recruitment at Norwich City before taking over Boro's football operation.

The pair have kept in touch throughout the intervening years and now have the chance to rekindle their professional partnership at the Riverside.

Image source, Rex Features

Edwards is the fourth Boro manager who will work with Scott. Warnock, Wilder and Carrick were the others, and it is fair to say the working model was particularly tested during the Warnock and Wilder years.

Under Carrick, Boro had some real success in the transfer market – Morgan Rogers, Emmanuel Latte Lath and Rav van den Berg to name a few – but a system that had worked well sprang a major leak in January.

The head coach pushed for signings who proved to be notable failures and Boro's season crumbled after the turn of the year.

That situation is unlikely to be repeated with Edwards in charge. Recruitment, playing style and an ability to work within Boro's structure will all have played a big role in the interview process.

Many Boro fans were excited by the potential arrival of Sheffield Wednesday's Danny Rohl, while the fact Steve Cooper was interviewed shows the job remains one of the most desirable outside the top flight.

What Edwards brings though, is Championship nous and an ability to punch above his weight.

Competing with 'parachute' clubs

The Luton squad he led to promotion two years ago was reputed to have a wage bill that would have placed them 20th in the Championship.

Boro are much more generous payers, but no Championship club without the benefit of parachute payments can afford to turn their nose up at a manager with the ability to improve players and find a way of competing with teams dropping down from the Premier League.

Concerns have been raised by some Boro fans about the way Luton unravelled on Edwards' watch last season, and there is no doubt that was something that would have been discussed by Boro's hierarchy.

However, the fact Luton won promotion under him and then made a good fist of trying to stay up should not be forgotten. For the record, the Hatters finished 18th in their Premier League season, ahead of Burnley, whose manager Vincent Kompany subsequently left them for German giants Bayern Munich.

Edwards may not be the big-name arrival Michael Carrick was, but Boro hope he proves to be the right one.