Mason Holgate, a defender for Southampton, hasn’t had much of an impact since joining the team during the summer transfer window. However, he may now have a chance to solidify his spot in the starting lineup as reporter Dean Jones talks about his inclusion in Russell Martin’s squad ahead of the weekend in an interview with GIVEMESPORT.
Holgate may have thought he would be a certain starter in the Championship after being demoted from the Premier League, but the English defender’s career hasn’t gone as planned thus far. In his little playing time, the former Barnsley player has made a number of mistakes on the south coast, but this weekend against West Brom, he may get the chance to make an impression.
After losing favour at Everton and being moved out on loan, Holgate is going through a difficult moment in his career, but there is still plenty of time in the current campaign for the 27-year-old to make a big turnaround.
Mason Holgate hasn’t been doing well for Southampton.
Holgate left Premier League team Everton in the summer to join a season-long loan with the Saints. The centre defender had a rough beginning to his stint on the south coast and dropped out of St Mary’s starting lineup very fast. Throughout the season, Martin has occasionally allowed Holgate to wear a Saints shirt, but he is most definitely not a lock to start.
Prior to Holgate’s “bad start” under Martin, Jones told GIVEMESPORT that he was certain the defender would turn things around and succeed.
| Mason Holgate – Southampton 23/24 – Championship Stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 3 (1) |
| Minutes | 201 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Yellow cards | 0 |
| Tackles per game | 1.3 |
| Pass success rate | 88.6% |
| Aerial duels won per game | 1.3 |
| Average rating | 6.24 |
| All stats according to WhoScored | |
Jan Bednarek, a Polish center back, received his fifth yellow card of the season against Millwall, and he will now miss Southampton’s next match this weekend. It remains to be seen if Martin has trust in Holgate, but the Southampton boss has few choices to work with while Jack Stephens is sidelined due to injury.
Dean Jones’s report
If Martin decides to start Holgate this weekend in lieu of Bednarek due to suspension, Jones has hinted that this may be his chance to make his Southampton debut. The writer goes on to say that while losing Bednarek is a setback for the Saints, Holgate can definitely play at a better level than what we’ve seen him achieve thus far. This presents an opportunity for someone else to seize the moment. Jones claimed in an interview with GIVEMESPORT…
Russell Martin has a serious problem that has to be resolved.
Holgate is a part of a larger issue even though he has stood out as a player who has struggled in the Championship with Southampton. No team in the top half of England’s second division has given up more goals than the Saints, and because Holgate has only played 201 minutes in the league, the problem is more widespread than simply him.
It is obvious that there is no personnel issue because Bednarek, a regular for his country, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who won the division with Burnley last season, normally start together in the middle of defense. Martin uses a high-risk, high-reward style of play that emphasizes possession and playing out of the back. This approach will always have advantages and disadvantages. In their pursuit of promotion, Southampton will need to strike the correct balance.
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