Everton: Mason Holgate loan to be terminated by Southampton as replacement lined up at St Mary’s
Southampton are now set to terminate Mason Holgate’s loan deal and send the defender back to Everton as they have lined up a replacement option, according to Darren Witcoop.
The Sunday Mirror editor reported via Twitter on 14 December that the Saints are ready to move for West Ham’s Ben Johnson to fill the Toffees man’s place on the south coast.
Russell Martin had claimed this week he would like to keep the 27-year-old in the squad despite making him the victim of a lack of playing time by dropping him from the line-up, but it appears the decision is to be made the other way.
Witcoop said: “Southampton remain keen on West Ham defender Ben Johnson. With Saints ready to cut short Mason Holgate’s loan spell, Johnson could be on the move next month. Johnson, who offerers versatility across the back line, was on Saints’ radar in summer.”
Not worked out
Holgate’s position at Goodison Park didn’t appear to be an enjoyable one with Sean Dyche clearly not convinced by him and little opportunity to feature at all, let alone at his natural position of centre-back.
The hope would have been for him to head to the relegated side and revive his career as a first-team regular in the Championship.
Even that would likely have been with a view for him to make a permanent move to Southampton or elsewhere as a result, but clearly that hasn’t panned out after just five appearances in the second tier.
He is surely going to need the Toffees to find him an alternative destination during the January window or he is going to be kicking around on Merseyside without much to do.
Since Ben Godfrey can barely get a kick under Dyche either at the moment, with three of the back four looking impossible to shift amid hugely-improved Everton form, there looks to be little hope for Holgate.
Even at right-back, where Ashley Young has to consider himself fortunate to have kept his place as long as he has this season, there is probably no chance that Holgate would get a game ahead of the 38-year-old, plus Seamus Coleman, Nathan Patterson and Godfrey.
He still has a year and a half left on his contract so it would be beneficial for both sides to find a way to get him game time to generate interest for even a low-cost move or he may be left meandering towards a free transfer departure in two summers’ time with little to show in between.
In other Everton news, a finance expert is getting “twitchy” over new nine-figure debt loading up at Goodison Park.