Newcastle are reportedly interested in Everton’s Mason Holgate, but they face a battle with Sheffield United and Bournemouth, according to The Sun.
The defender has returned to the Toffees’ team in recent weeks and helped them to victory over Chelsea before drawing at Old Trafford, and he could be available for a relatively small fee of £14m.
By Newcastle’s standards that would present a reasonable outlay, but spending large amounts on Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin indicates that Mike Ashley may be prepared to trust Steve Bruce with more funds in January.
However, the Magpies have a plethora of options at centre-back, and have coped well in recent weeks despite injuries to Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar – winning two of their last three.
With that in mind, we asked our team of Football FanCast writers for their views on the possible transfer, and whether Bruce should look to make him a Newcastle player by the end of the window.
Here is what they had to say.
Lewis Blain
“If Steve Bruce can raid Everton for Mason Holgate, then they’ll be onto a winner.
“Newcastle are doing better than expected this season with them sitting in 11th in the table – Rafa who? But defensively, they still remain a little suspect having conceded 24 times in 17 matches, only keeping a clean sheet in 24% of their matches.
“Injuries to their backline are always a problem as Bruce likes to use a three-at-the-back formation, so an addition such as Holgate must be welcomed.
“His versatility to play in midfield and full-back only further displays why he’d be such a shrewd signing for the Magpies, in addition to the fact he’s still young enough to further improve.”
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Danny Lewis
“Holgate definitely has the potential to be an effective signing for Newcastle, with his versatility in the defensive areas being a very useful trait that Bruce would likely make use of. The Magpies would be better off spending their money at the other end of the pitch.
“Only Crystal Palace and Watford have scored fewer Premier League goals this campaign, so they should be looking for someone who can improve that side of their game, whether that is a striker or winger.
“For example, Jarrod Bowen, who has 15 goals and four contributions, would arguably have a far greater impact on Newcastle’s fortunes than Holgate.”
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Viji Jeevathayalan
“If Newcastle can convince Mason Holgate to leave Goodison Park, then they should be all over it. The Magpies have conceded 24 goals this season, and have been reliant on the likes of Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar to provide genuine quality to their back-line.
“A move for Holgate would give them a player who could quite comfortably play at centre-back or right-back, or even in central midfield, which in theory makes him perfect for a back three – requiring the ability to defend one-on-one, move out wide and push into midfield.
“More simply, having someone like the 23-year-old who appears to be a jack of all trades gives Steve Bruce a valuable option. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, and are always the ultimate test of a squad’s strength in depth. The Toffees’ versatile ace could save Newcastle a lot of money from having to sign specialist players in each position.“
Kealan Hughes
“While Holgate has impressed of late, there is still some doubt about his ability to perform at the top level at a consistent basis, as he has often found himself in and out of the Everton team – as evidenced by his loan spell at West Brom last season.
“He is young and seems to be making progress this term, but that still doesn’t mean he’d necessarily be an improvement on the Magpies’ current options, and therefore he may not even get into the side.
“As a result, he would represent quite a big outlay for little short-term value and wouldn’t help to address Newcastle’s biggest problem, which is scoring goals – Joelinton and Yoshinori Muto have one goal each, and they are the only strikers in the squad to score this campaign.”
Meanwhile, Bruce also has a big decision to make in regard to who he picks to counter the threat of Wilfried Zaha this weekend, and the options in his squad underline the strength in depth in defence.