Everton's Mason Holgate doesn’t see players wanting to leave Goodison Park this summer unless they get offers of Champions League football.
Star names Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jordan Pickford have all been linked with summer moves but after Everton’s Premier League survival was guaranteed in dramatic fashion against Crystal Palace on Thursday night, Holgate says only a handful of clubs could be considered an upgrade.
‘We’ve had one bad season so it is easy to overlook the size of Everton,’ said the defender.
’We’re under no illusions that the top four are going to be appealing to players who are good enough and want to challenge for titles and play in the Champions League but the clubs underneath that bracket, I wouldn’t class them as a step up.
‘It would be more a sideways move and if it’s not a major step, people will want to stay here and push the club in the right direction.’
Manager Frank Lampard has promised an overhaul to ensure Everton aren’t in relegation trouble again and Holgate concedes they shouldn’t have spent the season fighting near the bottom.
’The over-riding feeling around the place now is relief. It has been a shocker for everyone, we hadn’t expected to be in this position. The pressure has been on us in every game and it’s not something we want to go through again.
‘We have got away with it if you like but it’s something we have to build on.’
Everton’s 3-2 comeback win which sparked a pitch invasion against Palace means they can relax for their final game of the season at Arsenal on Sunday leaving Burnley and Leeds to fight it out to avoid the final relegation spot.
Both of those clubs are considering legal action against Everton alleging they have exceeded maximum losses allowed.
Holgate has been one of Lampard’s stalwarts at the back amid the tension of the final few weeks and celebrated in the dressing-room with a sing-song after the latest win.
‘It is hard to describe the feeling after everything that had gone one,’ he said. ’Having to fight back from 2-0 down made it that little bit more special.
‘If you look at the quality we’ve got in the squad, we should be at the other end of the table but there is nothing we can do other than learn from it. It has to be a catalyst.’
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