Toffee Nation said goodbye to a legend as center-back Phil Jagielka announced on Instagram that he is leaving the team after 12 seasons wearing the Blue jersey. What he does next remains to be seen, but he will always be looked as a legend amongst the Everton faithful as he was a steady presence in the backs.
Jagielka came over from Sheffield United in 2007 on a five year £4 million deal and that's where the story begins. In his 12 seasons with the club, he has made 385 appearances and scored 19 goals (322 and 14 in Premier League play). He also made 40 appearances for the national team for England, while scoring three goals.
Jagielka has garnered a lot of respect from the fans for his consistent play, but also so much from teammates and coaches that in 2013-14 he was named the captain. However, with more depth in the backs and with Jagielka not getting any younger at 36, it made sense for him to leave the club, though keeping him for one more season as depth would have been nice. However, the hope is that he can stay with the team in some sort of coaching role as his experience could come helpful for the younger backs to learn from.
In his time with Everton, he was arguably the most important player on the field as he anchored the defense and seemingly played every single minute of every match. He was an absolute workhorse. He signed a new deal in 2013 that would keep on the team until 2017 and after the retirement of Phil Neville, he was named captain by then manager David Moyes. In his first season as captain for the Blues, he was named Player of the Season as the team finished fifth in the table under then manager Roberto Martinez. In 2017, he signed a two year contract, which obviously now has expired.
In a April 7 match vs Arsenal of this past season, Jagielka got the call to start in place of Michael Keane who suddenly fell ill. He went on to score in the 10th minute, which turned out to not only be the only goal of the match, but his first goal in two years for the club, becoming the second oldest Everton player to score a goal, and sadly his final as a Blue.
For the England national team, he was featured on the Euro 2012 squad and the 2014 World Cup one. He made his debut in 2008 in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago.
It will be hard to imagine the club without Jagielka as he has meant so much to the fans and the play on the field. His character embodied what it means to be an Evertonian and the appreciation for it wasn't hidden from the fans, his teammates, his coaches, and the upper management. Hopefully the next chapter of his career serves him well.
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