Joel Robles has heaped praise on the goalkeepers who restricted his minutes during his time at Everton. The 36-year-old, now playing with Estoril in Portugal, said he was “really happy” during his five-year stint on Merseyside as he reflected on a career that has seen him clinch the FA Cup, Copa del Rey and Europa League.
Five years at Goodison Park
Robles featured 65 times for the Blues after initially finding himself as back-up to Tim Howard before reaching double figures for Premier League appearances in 2015/16 and 2016/17. While he never quite established himself as the true number one, he only had praise for Howard, Maarten Stekelenburg and Jordan Pickford.
Robles signed for Everton from Atletico Madrid in 2013 following the arrival of Roberto Martinez, with whom he had won the FA Cup earlier that year while on loan at Wigan Athletic. Reflecting on his time at Everton, and the initial years under Martinez, he said: "I was really happy. That was also thanks to Roberto, because as soon as Roberto Martinez signed for Everton, he called me, because I had one year left on my contract at Atletico, and Everton bought me because Roberto wanted me."
"Obviously, the first years weren't easy - I had to compete with Tim Howard, who was a great goalkeeper, a club legend, and was at a high level, especially in the early years, so I had to work hard and be patient until I got my chance. I tried to make the most of it, and then in my third year Roberto was sacked, Ronald Koeman came in, and I had to fight again until my last year, the fifth, when they offered me a new contract, but I decided not to renew because I needed a change, and that's when I joined Betis."
Koeman's straight talking
Koeman’s first signing was Stekelenburg, a two-time Dutch title winner who had played in the Netherlands’s World Cup final defeat to Spain. Yet while Koeman was clear the new arrival would be number one, Robles chose to fight for his place.
He told Flashscore: "It's true that Ronald Koeman had a very good quality - he was the kind of guy who would call you up to his office and tell you things straight. He didn't beat around the bush. I remember Koeman arrived in the second week and told me, 'You're going to be number two; I'm going to go with Stekelenburg', the great Dutch goalkeeper whom Iniesta scored against in the 2010 World Cup final."
Pickford arrival and departure
Robles ended up dovetailing with Stekelenburg in that first season but decided to seek a new challenge after the arrival of Pickford saw him immediately take the number one spot, joining Real Betis.
He said: "I told him [Koeman] what I thought at the time. I accepted the role, worked hard, and ended up playing quite a few games that season, until my last year, when, before the season ended, he told me they were going to sign a new number one, so we had a conversation about leaving in the summer. That's when they signed Jordan Pickford, the young England international from Sunderland, who's shown a great level both at Everton and with England. That was my last year at Everton - Koeman was sacked in December, and I stuck it out for the rest of the year, and that's when I finished there."
