Phil Jagielka Everton
The time of the Real Madrid loanee, Royston Drenthe, on Merseyside became infamous partly due to an incident where he allegedly attempted to use the training ground jacuzzi with guests in the middle of the night. This incident was highlighted by then-captain Phil Jagielka, who had to navigate the complexities of such situations.
Phil Jagielka said: “[It is tough when] you either get a bad period or when people start doubting, or you get a rogue player who doesn’t want to be on time. The easiest one is Royston Drenthe. We’ve all heard stories about him. I think there are certain elements the captain has control over, [for instance] if you’ve been late a couple of times.”
During his stint at Everton during the 2011/12 campaign, Drenthe had a challenging relationship with then-boss David Moyes. Despite initially impressing with a memorable goal against Fulham, his behavior occasionally overshadowed his performances on the field.
Tim Howard, recalling his memories in 2021, said: “We had some wrong’uns at Everton as well, and those are the ones that stood out more than anything. One was horrific, Royston Drenthe. We’re Everton, rolled sleeves up, worker bees. you were just at Real Madrid, what are you doing here? This is weird. you’re just thinking: ‘You’re at the wrong club here mate’.”
Royston Drenthe has since reflected on his experiences at Everton, addressing the infamous hot tub rumor among other things.
Royston Drenthe said: “The real story ended up being blown up massively and turned into something which wasn’t true. I didn’t see anything wrong with it at all. A lot has been made in the past of my time at the club, and the kind of character I was when I joined, and people know all about my relationship with David Moyes – especially while I was a player at Goodison Park. As a 36-year-old, I can understand and appreciate the job he was doing and how I thought back when I was 25 perhaps wasn’t always right. Back then, I was firmly of the belief that Moyes was simply out to prove to the other players that he could get under my skin. We’d argue and I’d just think ‘what the f***?’ ‘Is he taking the p***?’. And while there are certain occasions where I can say I still feel I was in the right, on the whole I’d say he was. Ultimately, he wanted to get the best out of me as a player, he wanted to help me, I just couldn’t see that at the time. But people change, and I can look back now a lot older and wiser, and I can understand why he did what he did with me.”
Drenthe’s playing career saw him move to Russia, and later play stints at Reading and Sheffield Wednesday before he returned to the Netherlands and retired last year.
