Norwich City could take advantage of Everton surplus with final piece of the promotion jigsaw: Opinion
Everton have five first-team centre-backs at Goodison Park and that could mean that they will move some on
Norwich City’s strong start to the Championship season could be further boosted with the addition of more players before the transfer window closes.
Mason Holgate would be a valuable signing for Norwich as he would provide experience and versatility to their defense, which currently lacks depth in certain positions.
Holgate has struggled to secure regular playing time at Everton and a loan move could be beneficial for his career, making him an attractive option for Norwich.
Norwich City have had a superb start to their Championship season – and the addition of more players would only be seen as a bonus to their promotion credentials.
Only a last-gasp equaliser from Southampton on the second gameweek of the season stopped the East Anglian outfit from claiming three wins from three in the league, with a trouncing of Millwall at the weekend sending the Canaries third behind local rivals Ipswich Town and Leicester City, who have both taken maximum points.
But with the transfer window open until the start of September, there remains a possibility that David Wagner might bring more players in – and with one player ostracised from a Premier League club and waiting for a chance to shine, it could be a match made in heaven – for Norwich and Mason Holgate.
Why would Mason Holgate be a good signing for Norwich City?
The Canaries already boast Andrew Omobamidele, Grant Hanley, Ben Gibson and Shane Duffy as their senior centre-back options at Carrow Road, which truth be told, isn’t a bad quartet to choose from in the second-tier.
However, Gibson in particular is fairly prone to mistakes both in and out of possession, Hanley can have the odd blunder in him, and Duffy is hardly getting quicker at the age of 31 – which means that some forward planning could be needed for a defence that also has Hanley and Gibson, who are 31 and 30 respectively.
Between themselves and Omabamidele, there is a 10-year gap – and someone will need to be brought in in the near future to bridge that gap. Holgate would fit that bill quite perfectly, having boasted vast top-flight, European and even second-tier experience already in his career. At 26 years of age, Holgate has over 125 Premier League appearances for Everton, further featuring four times in the UEFA Europa League and another 21 times for West Bromwich Albion in the Championship as they fell at the play-off hurdle in 2018-19.
He isn’t as physical as the experienced trio, but he is not a far way off – but he is undoubtedly quicker, and his recovery and pace could work alongside a more experienced star such as Hanley or Duffy in their back line.
Furthermore, the departure of Max Aarons has left the Canaries short in the right-back department at Carrow Road. Jack Stacey was signed from Bournemouth in the summer as Aarons went the other way weeks later in an 11th-hour move, but he lacks serious competition in that half of the pitch – with 19-year-old Kellen Fisher being the only other out-and-out right-back.
He’s never made a league appearance for Norwich, and should Stacey be injured for a long period, there would likely be a lack of trust in the youngster to fulfil that role for an extended amount of time.
Holgate has played at right-back plenty of times throughout his career, and that means he could be an ideal asset for David Wagner in both areas of defence – his versatility could well be the missing piece of the promotion jigsaw, with the Canaries evidently not lacking goals.
What is the latest news on Mason Holgate?
There hasn’t been much of an update on Holgate’s future recently, bar the links to fellow Championship promotion hopefuls Leeds United and Southampton a month ago.
The report from Football Insider stated that Everton had agreed to let Holgate depart on loan last season with the likes of James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Jarrad Branthwaite all ahead of him in the pecking order.
Holgate still has two years left on his contract at Goodison Park, but has found it difficult to cement a first-team place after being a favourite under Carlo Ancelotti. He only featured nine times last season for the Toffees, and game time could be imperative to his career as things stand.
