Walsall exploring Jake Hollman loan possibilities amid 'work permit' grey area
Mat Sadler says Walsall are "exploring" the possibility of Jake Hollman joining an overseas club on loan, but is awaiting further information on the rules of his ESC work permit.
The 24-year-old has not featured in the league for Walsall since a cameo from the bench in their 1-0 home defeat against Grimsby Town on August 19.
Hollman, who joined on a free transfer from A-League side Macarthur FC in the summer, has played just 200 minutes across his six appearances in all competitions so far this term.
Sadler is eager to find Hollman minutes elsewhere, but currently has limited options due to the rules surrounding his Elite Significant Contribution (ESC) work permit.
In short, Hollman is unable to join another English club on loan, although there is scope for him to move abroad.
Walsall are in the process of finding out more information on whether a temporary move abroad is a possible option for the Australian midfielder.
"I honestly don't know, is the answer to that," Sadler responded when asked if Hollman could move abroad, on loan.
"It's something that I want to get a bit more clear on, because even within that, there are some other rules that mitigate certain places.
"That's something that I've asked Ben [Sadler] to get me some information on, but I don't have an answer to that yet.
"It's really difficult because under his ESC work permit, we can't get him loan minutes [in England]."
Hollman arrived in England lacking match fitness after spending six weeks in Sweden in waiting for his move to Walsall to be completed.
That meant he was unable to feature for them in pre-season, and only met the coaching staff and his new teammates just before the League Two season got underway.
As well as the challenges of acclimatising to a new country, and a different league, Hollman has also found himself out of the picture in terms of selection in the league.
He is currently behind Charlie Lakin, Jamie Jellis, Ryan Finnigan, Courtney Clarke and Rico Richards in the pecking order, meaning minutes are going to be extremely difficult to come by.
Hollman was introduced as a half-time substitute during the Saddlers' 1-0 home defeat against Northampton Town last week, but flattered to deceive on a rare chance to prove his worth.
Sadler admitted that it's going to be a challenge to find him game time, but hopes that the cup competitions will be able to keep him sharp for the time being until they can resolve the situation.
"So we're going to have to find it through training and training games, and the EFL Trophy," he added.
"That's where things lie at the moment with that. Unfortunately in Jake's case, some of the guys have done brilliantly to force their way into the team.
"We have to be patient with Jake. He has come in at a really tough time for him.
"That is unfortunately how the chips fell with how long it took to bring him in and his lack of a pre-season.
"He's one of the hardest workers in terms of how long he stays out there after training.
"That's just how it's going to have to be at the moment."
