Coleman's struggles mean Everton should keep Holgate at Goodison Park

By Sam Preston

Everton defender Mason Holgate is moving closer to a January loan move to promotion-chasing Championship side West Bromwich Albion, according to the Express and Star.

They report that the Baggies are keen to bolster a backline that has been leaky so far this season and that Marco Silva is prepared to let Holgate leave Goodison Park on a temporary basis.

That will see him get the gametime he has so sorely lacked at Everton this season, with the young Englishman struggling badly to force his way into Silva’s new-look defence.

But there is an argument for suggesting that Silva should keep Holgate at the club, especially given Seamus Coleman’s patchy form thus far this season.

(Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)

Silva, to his credit, has identified the need to freshen up Everton’s ageing defence, and Coleman has been a weak link at times this season.

That’s not to say Holgate should be in ahead of him but he is capable of providing competition for places in the same way that Ademola Lookman’s presence means that Theo Walcott is always under pressure for his place.

He would also be a great, speedy fourth choice centre half and if Silva wants to persist with the five-man defence he used to great effect at Burnley on Boxing Day, that’s an option he may well need.