Southampton in talks to sign Everton defender Mason Holgate as Goodison Park exit news emerges
Everton are ready to offload defender Mason Holgate this summer with Southampton interested in signing him, according to The Telegraph.
The newspaper reported via their website on Tuesday (11 July) that the Saints are in talks to sign the 26-year-old amid uncertainty over the futures of Tino Livramento and Kyle Walker-Peters.
Newcastle have been linked with moves for both Livramento [Daily Mail] and Walker-Peters [GiveMeSport].
Let him go
Holgate isn’t good enough.
He’s shown at times that he can be a decent player but on the whole, the Doncaster-born defender has been unreliable and out of his depth in the Premier League.
The former England Under-21 international is a very versatile defender, which has made him a good option for the squad in recent seasons.
However, Everton’s continual injury issues in the defence has led to Holgate playing more than he really should have done and that’s kind of ruined him in the eyes of Evertonians and, potentially, for himself.
If he’d just played here and there and filled in gaps when needed then he may be still an Everton player going forward but it’s best for all parties if he moves on.
Last season, the ex-West Brom loanee played just eight times in the Premier League and started only five league fixtures.
He didn’t play in a single win for Everton and in his last two appearances, he was sent off and then on the end of a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at home.
There’s also the issue regarding Holgate’s wages as, on 2 July, Football Insider reported that Holgate is being offered out by Everton due to the fact that his wages have automatically increased to £72,000-a-week this summer.
Holgate may do well at Southampton in the Championship but in the top flight, he’s bench fodder.
In other Everton news, an absence has been explained as a first-team ace misses pre-season in Switzerland.