Phil Jagielka believes that current Belgium manager Roberto Martinez deserved more time as Everton manager than the three seasons he got at Goodison Park.
Martinez managed Everton between 2013 and 2016, finishing fifth in his first season in 2013/14. Two 11th-place finishes in the Premier League followed, including reaching the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and League Cup in 2015/16.
However, that didn't prove good enough for Everton's ownership, with the Spaniard eventually sacked at the end of the season. For Jagielka, though, he feels the club should've stuck longer with Martinez because the players weren't as used to the chopping and changing of managers.
"I don’t know if the identity changed, but Everton have had many managers and different people buying players in recent seasons," Jagielka told FourFourTwo in the latest issue available to buy.
"It wasn’t like that in my first few years: David Moyes worked closely with the owner, Bill Kenwright, to build a squad.
"As players we weren’t accustomed to all the upheaval that followed Moshiri’s arrival. If the club had been a bit more patient, especially with Roberto Martinez, maybe we would’ve been more settled and solid."
Farhad Moshiri's minority shareholding increased to 49.9 per cent in February 2016, coinciding with Martinez's sacking a few months later. The Iranian eventually became the majority shareholder in early 2022, taking over a larger chunk of Bill Kenwright's ownership.
Before, Moshiri's arrival, though, Everton had stuck with David Moyes from 2002 until his departure for Manchester United in 2013. Jagielka played for Everton between 2007 and 2019, spending his first six years at the club solely under David Moyes.
His final six years at the club were with four different managers, though, and David Unsworth in two caretaker roles.
The 40-year-old is still playing for Stoke City in the Championship.
