Mason Holgate one of five Everton players who could leave in January
Mason Holgate is among five Everton players who could leave the club in the January transfer window, according to reports from Sunday Mail.
The Toffees have wasted no time in signing Vitaliy Mykolenko from Dinamo Kiev already this month, and they are reportedly close to signing Nathan Patterson from Rangers as well [The Atheltic].
There could be a few departures as well, with Rafa Benitez looking to sculpt the squad to his own taste.
The Sunday Mail (02 January, page 142) has named the players the Toffees could offload this month. Along with Holgate, the likes of Cenk Tosun, Lucas Digne, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jonjoe Kenny are facing uncertain futures.
Curious case
Holgate was seen as one of the future leaders of the club when he signed a long-term contract extension in 2020.
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has previously hailed his qualities and labelled him as “exceptional”. Along with Ben Godfrey, he was expected to progress at a fast pace.
However, things are not looking bright for the 25-year-old under Rafa Benitez.
Holgate has made only six starts thus far, and hasn’t always looked convincing. He is short of confidence at the moment, and the club have a big decision to make.
He has a contract at Goodison Park till 2025 and there’s plenty of time for him to prove himself. On the other hand, the club can cash in on him and get a good value that can be reinvested into the squad.
With Yerry Mina injured, it is probably not an ideal time to offload another centre-back, unless Benitez has targets lined up.
In other Everton news, this Toffees defender has spoken out about vaccinations at the club.