Exclusive: Mason Holgate Ready to Prove He Belongs in the Premier League with Everton Deal Set to Expire

Mason Holgate is desperate to get back to the Premier League.

The talented defender made his top-flight breakthrough with Everton in 2015 when he penned a high-profile five-year deal with the Toffees.

He made his Premier League debut a year later in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and has featured in eight of his last nine seasons at the Merseyside club.

But the 28-year-old’s future remains uncertain with his current deal due to end this summer.

Holgate now knows a move away from Goodison Park could now provide a new path back to the top-flight.

He has impressed on loan for West Brom in the Championship this season, with the Baggies fifth in the standings and chasing Premier League football for the first time since the 2020-21 season.

“Everybody wants to play Premier League football, there’s no two ways about that – it’s the best league in the world for a reason,” revealed Holgate, speaking exclusively to SportsBoom.com. 

“Every game is so tough and exciting. I’ve been very lucky to have played in the Premier League for ten seasons."

“I was lucky enough to do that, but I feel as though it was also my hard work that put me in that position."

“Every game is so different, one week you’ll play against someone who is big and physical, then the next week you’ll play someone who is smart and ball-savvy, or then someone who has raw pace – or even all of them qualities."

“But it’s the big games that everyone wants to be involved in as a footballer, you want to be playing away at Old Trafford or playing against Manchester City or Liverpool."

“Everybody wants to be there, but it’s about earning my way back there personally.”

SHOCK CORBERAN DEPARTURE

Former boss Carlos Corberan shocked many at the club when he left to become the new Valencia boss on Christmas Eve last year, and, as a result, perhaps unsurprisingly the club’s form has suffered as a result.

They won just one of their next six league games following his departure, but have won two of their last four fixtures to get their promising season back on track under new boss Tony Mowbray. 

“The quality we’ve got is there for everybody to see,” stressed Holgate.

“But you can’t just put it [the pressure] on the strikers to score the goals."

“It’s about getting the best balance we can. It’s about the whole team being able to attack and then defend when we need to."

“Some games are going to be more difficult than others, but it’s about getting that little bit of killer-mentality of nicking those tight games rather than drawing them.”

LAST SEASON'S ROCKY ROAD

Holgate joined Sheffield United on loan at the end of the 2023-24 season as he looked to help the Blades avoid relegation from the Premier League.

But unfortunately the club went down and, like West Brom, are battling hard to try get back to the top flight.

“It was a difficult time when I was there,” reflected Holgate. “I joined in the January and unfortunately we didn’t manage to turn it around."

“It was tough going, especially as a defender it’s hard when the team had no confidence and we were conceding a lot of goals."

“But Sheff Utd have done great this year, they’re flying. They’ve gone and got a lot of new players and keep a good group of players from last year, they’ve done really well.”