Summary
Everton defender Mason Holgate is likely to leave the club during the summer transfer window, according to an update from journalist Paul Brown.
When is Mason Holgate out of contract?
The 26-year-old arrived at Goodison Park as a youngster from Barnsley back in 2015, making his debut the following year when he was still a teenager. He has since gone on to make 149 appearances for the club, not always standing out as a key starter, but proving to be a largely reliable squad player.
Holgate's ability to play at both centre-back and right-back has been useful for squad depth, and while not a headline-making individual, there have been times when he has shone in the back-line. He is out of contract at Everton in the summer of 2025, however, meaning that the Blues are slowly running out of time to sell him for the highest amount possible.
Last season, the Englishman featured very sporadically, starting only five Premier League matches and appearing just eight times in total in the competition, and it has led to doubts over his future at the club.
What's the latest on Mason Holgate's Everton future?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Brown talked up the idea of Holgate moving on to pastures new during the current transfer window, admitting that he could be deemed surplus to requirements:
"It doesn't really surprise me that he is being linked with a move away. He has been on the transfer list before at Everton. I would argue there was a time when he was probably Everton's best defender, but that little run of form didn't last very long.
"He has certainly taken a couple of steps back in his career over the last year to 18 months. He didn't really play for Dyche last season."
It could be that a permanent move away for Holgate this summer ultimately suits all parties, allowing Everton to get a reasonable fee for his services and get him off their wage bill. It would also allow the player himself to enjoy a fresh challenge as a regular elsewhere, while whoever signs him would be getting an experienced head who has been described as "brilliant" by Peter Crouch in the past.
Blues boss Sean Dyche seemingly doesn't see the defender as an important part of his plans moving forward, though, and it is pointless keeping hold of someone in that position, instead receiving money for him and using those funds to sign a superior replacement.
If Holgate ends up staying put at Goodison Park, it certainly wouldn't be a bad thing – he knows the club inside out and they could sell him next summer and still potentially get solid money for him – but if a bid arrives for him before the new Premier League season gets underway next month, it would make complete sense to accept it and bring an end to his time on Merseyside.
Everton need to be ruthless if they are to start avoiding relegation battles every season, and disposing of players who aren't quite good enough if something that has to be done. That arguably applies to Holgate.
