Rangers must now line up deal for Everton defender Mason Holgate after Southampton manager comments
Rangers appear to have been given hope of landing January target Mason Holgate following an admission made by Southampton boss Russell Martin.
The Everton loanee has struggled for playing time since arriving at St Mary’s on a season-long loan at the beginning of the campaign.
Holgate has started just four of Southampton’s 20 Championship matches, while featuring on a further one occasion from the substitutes’ bench.
The Sun reported on Monday (11 December) that Everton are ready to recall Holgate from his loan spell next month and send him to another team for the second half of 2023-24.
Rangers were cited as a club interested in taking on the 27-year-old for the second half of the campaign to further strengthen their defensive ranks.
While Martin denied that Everton have already contacted Southampton with regards to cutting short Holgate’s loan, the Saints manager did accept the Englishman has every right to feel frustrated.
“Mason came back into the team and did really well after a difficult start,” Martin is quoted as saying by the Daily Echo [12 December]. “He can’t do anything else than play really well and be a good team-mate.
“I took him out of the team because I felt Janny (Jan Bednarek) deserved his place back following suspension. The most frustrating thing is that he cannot control that.
“That was my decision and it was tough. I’ve left someone, who has been really great, out for the game tomorrow and the conversation is not easy.”
“When you care about them it’s a horrible conversation and it’s why leadership can be very lonely, you feel the anger they feel towards you.
“He is out of the team because the other guys have played well and that is frustrating for him. I can’t sit here and say he is definitely staying.”
Martin went on to add that he expects a conversation to be held between the club and Holgate’s agent, which implies the door is open for a January switch.
Amid all this speculation, it is not clear just how interested Philippe Clement is in Holgate, but the Belgian certainly would not say no to new players being brought on board, especially when no transfer fee is required.
Holgate was a Premier League regular for Everton for three seasons prior to the 2022-23 campaign, so he clearly has some talent in him.
And as Clement has showed with the Gers squad he inherited from Michael Beale, if there is one thing he excels at, it is getting the most out of underperforming players.
In that case, this is a loan move that makes sense for Rangers, Everton, Southampton and indeed Holgate.
In other Rangers news, a Sky Sports pundit has been amazed by something “tremendous” he has seen at Ibrox.