Phil Jagielka enjoyed 12 impressive years at Everton, and left a hero after giving the bulk of his career to the club.
Therefore, it should only be right that he, as a former captain and top defender, be handed one of few illustrious tours around the club’s new home.
The Bramley-Moore Dock stadium has been under construction for years now, but only now are we truly getting a view of what the finished product will actually look like.
External features are flying up, and as such excitement is building for what will be their most hotly-anticipated transfer ever. That is, even if departing Goodison Park promises to be an emotional experience.
Speaking after his trip to the dock, Jagielka had plenty to say about the magnificent structure, just days after he made his prediction on their appeal process.
What Phil Jagielka said about the Bramley-Moore Dock stadium
Well, we have all seen the various drone fly-overs and photos from inside the bowl.
Its progress is vastly well-documented, and why not? After all, it has remained the sole ray of hope in an otherwise dull past few years.
Fans are eager to get inside, and Jagielka has surely only added to this desperation with his latest comments. He told Everton’s official website: ‘It’s amazing. I’ve seen a lot of footage, but not been able to get here until now and it’s going to be something special. Totally different, but very special!
‘The dressing room here looks a bit different than that one we’ve been used to at Goodison, so this is fantastic and what they are able to do here, with the facilities, brings Everton to the place it needs to be. I was excited to come here and couldn’t fathom how much it had evolved from nothing, but the size of it is breathtaking.’
He then spoke like a true fan: ‘We’ve all been itching to get here, as quickly as possible while, at the same extent, not really wanting to leave Goodison.
‘But if everything is going to be as it looks, it’s going to be an amazing place to call home and, hopefully, somewhere we can build good memories.’
When will Everton move into the Bramley-Moore Dock stadium?
Despite construction due to be completed in late 2024, the move-in date has since been pushed back in an effort to give Goodison Park one last send-off.
Therefore, the 2024/25 campaign will be the Old Lady’s last, allowing for one final season for fans to make peace with the turnaround.
Then, from the 2025/26 term, Evertonians will call the Bramley-Moore Dock stadium home.
By that point, everything will have been completed well in advance, and anticipation will be at an all-time high.
Those lucky few who get to be the first ones to enjoy that opening day, the first home game inside, will likely be treated to a cacophony of noise worthy of a football club of this stature.
Then, it will hopefully be a beacon for positivity moving forwards.
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