Three ideal Championship destinations for Mason Holgate
Promising Everton defender Mason Holgate will be allowed to leave the Goodison Park on loan in the January transfer window, as per a report from Sky Sports.
The 22-year-old centre-back, a product of the Barnsley youth academy, has been on the Toffees’ books since 2015 and has gone on to make 48 first-team appearances.
However, game time has been hard to come by for the youngser this term under new manager Marco Silva. So far in the 2018/19 campaign, Holgate has featured just six times across all competitions. The defender has not been involved in the Merseysiders’ last nine Premier League games after having started four of their first five league outings.
With prospects of regular playing time in the first-team looking bleak, Everton should let him leave on loan in January. And here are three clubs in the English second division that would be ideal for the 22-year-old to continue his development;
Leeds United
Almost midway through the season, the Whites sit atop the Championship standings with 45 points from 22 games. Led by the brilliant Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds are reaping the rewards of the South American’s tactical nous and understanding of the game.
However, they should be looking to strengthen a couple of areas in the January window, with the central defensive position one among them. While Liam Cooper and Gaetano Berardi have done well this term, both are currently sidelined with injuries with Kalvin Phillips filling in as a centre-back. Leeds’ U23 defender Aapo Halme is the only backup option available at Bielsa’s disposal for Phillips and Pontus Jansson.
Signing Holgate would increase the depth of squad in a critical area for the Whites, while his ability to play as a right-back would also be a boost since Leeds have had to use Stuart Dallas as a makeshift right-back for almost the entirety of the season.
Derby County
Derby County, under the guidance of manager Frank Lampard, sit fourth in the Championship table and are one of the strong contenders for promotion back to the Premier League. The Chelsea legend has done some brilliant work at the Pride Park, in what is his first managerial job, but January reinforcements in defence have become a necessity for the Rams.
Seasoned campaigners Craig Forsyth and Curtis Davies have both succumbed to long-term injuries, leaving Derby with on-loan defender Fikayo Tomori and Richard Keogh as the only frontline defensive options, with Alex Pearce, who has played only one game this term, providing cover.
Bringing in Holgate on loan for the second half of the campaign would allow the Rams to deal with this problem and will also be a great learning curve for the Everton defender. Lampard, in his short stint at the club, has shown he is not afraid to back young talents and Holgate could really benefit from teaming up with the Englishman at Derby.
Aston Villa
The need for a new defender at Aston Villa is well publicized. Having surprisingly allowed Tommy Elphick to leave on loan in the summer, the Midlands’ outfit has been left with just James Chester and on-loan defender Axel Tuanzebe as the recognized centre-backs in the squad.
In the early parts of the campaign, the Villans had resorted to using defensive midfielder Mile Jedinak at the back, to disappointing results.
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Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has had to call up 18-year-old Dominic Revan for Villa’s last three league games with their defensive resources stretched thin. And Holgate’s signing would provide the ideal solution for the club. The 22-year-old will offer quality cover at the heart of the defence and act as a backup for Alan Hutton at right-back as well, helping the Midlands’ outfit deal with a significant issue.
