Aston Villa and Wolves scouting mission revealed at Tuesday night Championship fixture

Aston Villa and Wolves scouts were reportedly in attendance at the Hawthorns for the EFL Championship clash between West Brom and Middlesbrough.

According to TBR Football, the two West Midlands clubs along with Nottingham Forest were watching Haydn Hackney in action for Middlesbrough. Hackney scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute, striking the ball from just outside of the box as his effort crept past Alex Palmer.

All three clubs are said to be 'carrying out due diligence' on several targets, and Hackney will have given a good account of himself in front of the watching faithful. It was a goal that took Boro in to the top six of the Championship table, inflicting a second straight defeat on to WBA.

Hackney is one of the leading young players in the Championship, and has five caps for the England under-21 team. He's got eight Championship appears for Michael Carrick's men this season, and his effort against West Brom was his second of the campaign.

The 22-year-old is under contract at the Riverside Stadium until the summer of 2027, having signed a new deal in May 2024. Several Premier League clubs are said to have kept a watchful eye on Hackney. In December 2023, it was reported by the Daily Mail that Man City, Man United, Spurs and Liverpool had all sent scouts to watch over him.

Villa's representatives will also have been keeping a close eye on Lewis Dobbin. The 21-year-old was signed for a fee of around £10m from Everton, but was shipped out on a season-long loan.

Dobbin was reduced to a 12-minute cameo, in which he couldn't impact the scoreline. Dobbin has so far played eight matches for the Baggies, but his only start has come in a Carabao Cup tie. He is under contract at Villa Park until the summer of 2028.