Sheffield Wednesday are hoping to take advantage of Mason Holgate’s failed transfer to French side Lyon by tempting him to Hillsborough.
The 27-year-old’s future has been the subject of much speculation of the course of the summer transfer window. He fell out of favour at Everton under Sean Dyche last season following the signing of James Tarkowski, who formed a centre-back pairing with Jarrad Branthwaite.
This saw him join Southampton on loan last summer, but his time at St Mary’s was cut short after he was limited to just five Championship appearances. There was interest throughout January and he eventually secured a temporary move to Sheffield United on Transfer Deadline Day.
Holgate featured regularly for the Blades as they suffered relegation from the Premier League. He then returned to Goodison Park ahead of another summer of speculation.
It appeared as if long term admirers Lyon were set to bring him to Ligue 1, although Football Insider reported this afternoon that the deal had collapsed. As always at this stage of the window, things have developed quickly and it looks as if a return to the Championship could be on the cards. According to journalist Alan Myers, a return to Sheffield could be on the cards, albeit this time with United’s rivals Wednesday.
Sheff Wed talking with Everton about a possible move for Mason Holgate
— Alan Myers (@ALANMYERSMEDIA) August 30, 2024
Manager Danny Rohl confirmed yesterday that his side are still looking at potential transfer targets, despite having a busy window. The German performed a miracle to keep the Owls in the second tier last season but his team have lost their last two fixtures. Speaking to The Star, he said:
“I think we signed now 11 players from the final day and to speak now about a busy day? I said before that we will see what happens in the last 24 hours if there is an opportunity or not, but all in all we worked very hard in this transfer window and now to expect that we sign on the final day four more players? It is not reality.
“We did a good job until now and you never know what happens but it is different to January, in January it really was the final day and we tried and tried to bring players in. We are looking and sometimes it is about timing and opportunities and for this we are ready but it’s not always just our decision.”
Writer’s View
Holgate has suffered in recent years and aside from his brief spell at Bramall Lane, has not played regularly since the 2021/22 season. That said, he is a player with vast Premier League experience and could be a shrewd acquisition for Sheffield Wednesday.
Having conceded six goals in their last two league games, Danny Rohl is clearly keen to bolster his defensive options. He won’t want to be pulled into another scrap at the bottom of the table and in fact build on the momentum he built during his first tenure. Their summer business has been good and they will take time to gel, but adding Holgate could be the icing on the cake.
Be the first to comment