Joel Robles has looked back on his five years at Everton in an interview with the Liverpool Echo. He covered his 2013 arrival, his long wait behind Tim Howard and the honest conversations that eventually sent him to Real Betis. The Joel Robles Everton story spans five seasons, from a Roberto Martinez signing to a Ronald Koeman exit. The goalkeeper is now 36 and plays for Estoril in Portugal. He gave a detailed account of how it all unfolded.
Joel Robles Speaks Out on Five-Year Everton Tenure and Goodison Exit
Robles joined Everton from Atletico Madrid in 2013 after Martinez took charge at Goodison Park. He went on to make 65 appearances for the club. He reached double figures in the Premier League in both 2015/16 and 2016/17. It was a spell shaped by patience, a managerial change midway through, and a final year that ended with Jordan Pickford arriving as the new number one.
Looking back, Robles said the move was driven directly by his new manager wanting him at the club. “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.”
Former Goalkeeper Details Martinez Arrival and Koeman Discussions
Martinez’s departure in Robles’ third year brought a new voice into the dressing room. Koeman arrived and, by Robles’ account, wasted no time setting out where he stood. “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.”
Robles praised the Dutchman’s directness, a trait he says made those conversations easier to process even when the news was not what he wanted to hear. “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.”
That approach was clear from the start. Koeman’s first signing at Everton was the Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg. Robles says he was told exactly where he stood within a fortnight. “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.”
Competition With Tim Howard and Shift Under Jordan Pickford
Before Koeman’s arrival, Robles had already spent years waiting for his chance behind a club legend. Tim Howard’s standing at Goodison Park meant game time was hard to come by. Robles readily accepts this shaped his early years on Merseyside. “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.”
Robles did eventually get a run in the side under Koeman, only for the goalkeeping picture to shift again before his final season ended. “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 new arrival was Pickford. Robles’ own Everton exit followed soon after Koeman’s own departure from the club. “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.” His account echoes those of former Goodison defenders, who have also reflected on how quickly the goalposts moved under successive managers.
Estoril Goalkeeper Moves On Following Contract Offer Refusal
Robles was offered a new deal at Everton at the end of that fifth year. He turned it down in search of a fresh challenge, choosing Real Betis instead. It closed out a Joel Robles Everton chapter that ran from 2013 to 2018, taking in two managers, two number-one changes, and 65 appearances in blue.
Since leaving Goodison Park, Robles has won the FA Cup, Copa del Rey and Europa League over the course of his career. He continues playing into his mid-thirties with Estoril in Portugal. His reflections add to a growing set of comments from former players looking back on that era of change at the club. They offer supporters a clearer picture of what went on behind the scenes during a turbulent few years in the Everton goal.
O’Brien reportedly confronted Manor Solomon over Gaza after Ireland win
O’Brien reportedly confronted Manor Solomon over Gaza after Ireland win
Bayern Munich eye Jordan Pickford in potential 2027 move
Bayern Munich eye Jordan Pickford in potential 2027 move