Everton transfer window failure puts pressure on Holgate
While the main focus of the transfer window in the end was the failure of Everton to sign a new right-back, the club also didn’t bring in another central defender despite many rumours they would do so.
Everton were linked with a number of centre-backs in the period running up to and during the transfer window including Khalidou Koulibaly, Gilsen Bremer and Clement Lenglet, to name a few.
But although new central defensive reinforcements might well have been in the mind of both Carlo Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez, perhaps a combination of the uncertainty and time it took to bring in Benitez, and lack of funds, meant like many other positions, it didn’t happen.
This has left the Blues with a collection of centre-backs who combine youth and experience and have had a fairly mixed time over the past few seasons.
Colombian Yerry Mina has generally been a good, solid all-round defender when he’s fit but he suffers from a lot of injury problems and so is always in and out of the team.
Micheal Keane is a limited defender who lacks pace but is a strong clearing and blocking the ball and effective in the air. However, he is prone to making a lot of individual errors as well.
Ben Godfrey impressed hugely last season with his pace, man-marking and ball-carrying qualities but needs to continue with that form and improve his positional sense, which is still sometimes an issue for him.
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Meanwhile Jarrad Branthwaite has been out on loan and while talented, is still a young and inexperienced player. Hopefully though he will get a few chances this season as he certainly looks a solid prospect.
But the player among these defenders who seems most under pressure is Mason Holgate.
The Englishman has had a very inconsistent first-team career so far at Goodison Park with last season being the most frustrating and deflating for him.
He played at both full and centre-back and while he was often decent enough filling in at right-back in the four man tactical formation Ancelotti adopted mid-season, he struggled badly playing in central defence.
He made a serious of costly errors and seems to have mental blocks or fragility taking two steps back in his development after tentatively showing the potential to be a decent Premier League centre-back at times in previous campaigns.
Holgate has been speaking about how critical it is to up his game and how Benitez is helping him to identify his strengths and weaknesesses and improve.
The Spaniard is the ideal coach to get the best out of a defender as he showed with players like Jamie Carragher and Jamaal Laschelles, so let’s hope he can work his magic on Holgate.
Given the lack of depth at right-back – exposed again by Seamus Coleman’s injury – and the fact the Toffees didn’t add another centre-back either, Holgate will have to step up again and play regularly and so it’s critical he can find his best form again or it’s likely Everton will suffer again this season.