Everton must agree settlement for Mason Holgate to quit now, Southampton loan agreement not bearing fruit.
Mason Holgate joined Southampton on loan last month with the hope of kick-starting his career away from Everton but he’s an unfortunate afterthought which may have damaging repercussions down the line.
The 26-year-old is currently out on a season-long loan with Southampton after being deemed to be surplus to requirements at Goodison Park.
Although the former England youth international’s contract with the Championship team lacks an option to purchase provision, it was anticipated that he would make a good enough impression to earn a permanent contract at St Mary’s or elsewhere.
However, the centre-back is doubting his choice after the veteran Everton defender made the same mistakes he did at Goodison Park. He has only appeared in two of the nine Championship games at St Mary’s thus far.
His debut against Sunderland, which his team eventually lost 5-0, was a disaster as he was replaced with his team trailing by four goals. Then he received criticism for his performance against Middlesbrough and was taken off early once more, this time at halftime.
The center-back was highly regarded by Barnsley, who sold him to the Toffees in 2015 for an amount thought to be about £2 million.
After the defender had a great deal of promise in his early years and went on to make just under 150 appearances for Everton, his tenure with the Blues hasn’t gone as many people had hoped.
The defender hasn’t really been included in Sean Dyche’s long-term plans, as evidenced by the fact that he only made eight appearances in all competitions last season, with only three of those coming under the previous Burnley manager.
Despite Sky Sports journalist Mark McAdam posting on his Twitter account on August 13 that the Blues were aiming to sell him permanently, as a result, he joined the Saints on loan.
The Toffees are hoping to pay him a fee for his services in January, but that request may now seem unrealistic given that his current contract at Goodison Park expires in 2024.
Since he performed poorly during his time at Southampton, manager Russell Martin is unlikely to consider hiring him or any other manager, for that matter and it may be more likely that Everton will reach a settlement and permanently fire him.
Two Everton players are apparently “under pressure” as a result of their performances against Luton, according to other team news.
