Football
10y

Phil Jagielka keen for Everton to move into a new stadium

LIVERPOOL -- Everton captain Phil Jagielka has acknowledged that the club need to leave Goodison Park if they are to compete at the highest level.

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Jagielka, 32, is set to lead the side when they host Wolfsburg in their opening Europa League group match on Thursday, and he believes the noisy Goodison atmosphere will help the Toffees.

Everton are currently in the early stages of putting together proposals to build a new stadium in Walton Hall Park -- a mile to the north of their current home.

The move would allow them to generate more revenue, as Goodison Park only holds 39,571 fans, has few corporate facilities and has little room for expansion as it is hemmed in by housing.

The stadium has been the scene of many memorable European nights for Everton -- most notably when they came from a goal down to beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in a 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup semifinal.

The Toffees have been considering a change since 1996, with the most recent attempt being a controversial proposed move out of Liverpool to Kirkby, which was scrapped in 2009 after a planning application was rejected by the government.

But although Jagielka feels it will be a sad day when Everton do leave the ground that has been their home since 1892, he thinks such a move is necessary.

The centre-back, who has been with the club since 2007, told a news conference: "When I first arrived, there was potential for the move to Kirkby, but that never materialised. I don't think the fans were too keen on it.

"For us to move forward as a club, there is going to come a time when unfortunately we will have to leave Goodison. We've had some fantastic memories here. It's brilliant to play here. But there will come a time when we will need to move.

"It's really early stages yet, and I'm not sure even of the timeframe, but I am sure that once we do have a new stadium, it will be fantastic for the club to kick on another level. I hope I'll be around to play in the new stadium."

No timescale has been put forward for the development yet, as an application for planning permission has yet to be submitted.

The club will work with Liverpool City Council and housing association Liverpool Mutual Homes to carry out a public consultation before drawing up detailed plans for a stadium, which is proposed as part of a wider regeneration project.

Toffees manager Roberto Martinez described the plans for a new stadium as "really exciting," but believes that it will still retain the atmosphere of the club's current home.

He told a news conference: "Goodison Park is unique. It's part of our DNA and that will never change whatever happens.

"You need to understand that as a football club, we need to go along with modern times, and if you want to compete, you need to look at all the sources of revenue you can get to carry on progressing and growing. But the Goodison effect will always be with us, whatever happens and wherever we play.

"It's really exciting, but we're in the really early stages. We want to do things right. We want to involve the community, the city and our fans. I think everyone knows that this is not just about the possibility of a new stadium. This is a regeneration project that will be phenomenal for the city, creating many new jobs.

"And deep down, it will secure the future of our football club. That will give the city the opportunity to have two clubs with very bright futures."

Everton will face Wolfsburg in optimistic mood after recording a first victory and clean sheet of the season when winning 2-0 at West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.

Striker Samuel Eto'o is available again after missing the match with a groin problem, while centre-back Sylvain Distin is expected to recover from a dead leg to play.

Martinez insists he is looking forward to the challenge of the Europa League, despite being handed a tricky group that also includes current Ligue 1 leaders Lille and Russian side Krasnodar, who beat Real Sociedad in the playoff round.

And the Spaniard is not concerned about the demands of playing on Thursdays and Sundays as he attempts to balance Europa League fixtures with domestic games.

He said: "As a player, you want to play games. If we play Thursday and Sunday, that's what you want. When you have a full week to prepare for a game, you need to have two really hard training sessions.

"As a player, I don't think you really look to coming to training and having to put a lot of effort into that. As long as you can avoid injuries, you welcome games. We are in a spell of seven games in just over three weeks. The squad is desperate to embrace that."

Wolfsburg arrive at Goodison Park looking to kick-start their season after failing to win any of their opening three Bundesliga matches.

However, Martinez expects plenty of attacking threat from Dieter Hecking's side, who missed out on a Champions League place by one point last season.

He said: "Wolfsburg are a very well structured team. They have a really good balance. The two centre-midfielders -- who will be two from Josuha Guilavogui, Junior Malanda and Luiz Gustavo -- give a really good balance to the side.

"They've got good experience, and they know how to play on these sorts of occasions. Kevin De Bruyne, who we knew from his Chelsea days, has gone to the next level. He's really important to their forward play alongside Ivica Olic, with Maximilian Arnold in that No. 10 role.

"They've got a really strong side. But we're at home and we have to make sure we dictate the tempo of the game. I do feel that Wolfsburg are a team who could easily be playing in the Champions League."

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