Football
Exclusive: West Brom Eye Permanent Move for Mason Holgate Amid Championship Interest
West Brom are keen to sign Everton loan defender Mason Holgate permanently this summer. The Championship club is looking to secure promotion to the Premier League and believe Holgate would be a good fit. The Jamaican international hopes for more playing time after limited opportunities at Everton.
Salford City v Everton - Pre-Season Friendly by Charlotte Tattersall | Getty Images
Promotion-chasers West Brom are keen to sign Everton loan defender Mason Holgate on a permanent deal, according to sources close to SportsBoom.
But a number of other Championship clubs are understood to be interested in the experienced centre-back, who can also operate at right-back.
The Baggies are flying high in sixth position in the Championship and believe Holgate would be the perfect fit if they can win promotion to the Premier League.
Holgate has spent nine seasons with the Toffees having joined the club on an initial £2million five-year deal back in August 2015.
But SportsBoom understands the Jamaican international feels his time is up having been starved off first-team opportunities at Goodison Park.
With his current contract set to end this summer, Holgate hopes to get a second chance in the top flight with the Baggies.
The defender signed for the Baggies on a season-long loan deal from Everton on deadline day, becoming the club’s 11th and final arrival of the summer.
SECOND TIME LUCKY
It’s the second time Holgate has made a temporary switch to The Hawthorns having previously represented Albion between January and May in 2019, during which time he played 23 games.
The club narrowly missed out on promotion back to the top-flight.
Holgate played one game for Everton this season, used as a late substitute in a 3-0 home loss to Brighton in mid-August.
He then didn’t play a first team game until 26th October having joined the Baggies on loan, and he 28-year-old former Barnsley academy graduate has been a mainstay of the side, under two different managers at the Hawthorns this season.
First under Carlos Corberan and then under current manager Tony Mowbray following the Spaniard’s mid-season departure to Valencia.
He has played 23 games since his arrival in the Midlands, 21 of which have come in the league with the club pushing hard to nail down a coveted play-off place with 11 games remaining this season.
Last season Holgate played ten games on loan for Sheffield United in the Premier League, but the Blades couldn’t avoid relegation to the second tier.
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