With the takeover of Everton imminent Jagielka spoke to the Liverpool Echo about how the new owners could bring about a new era for the Toffees but also prevent many players from leaving for free as their contracts run down this season.
"Hopefully the takeover could be perfect timing. All Evertonians want this to be the start of a new era. Obviously, we know what's happening at the end of the season, with moving to the new ground, but it would be nice to have some sort of fresh start before that and get things in order so that we can hit the ground running when we leave Goodison.
"What's happening off the field will have had a massive impact in the changing room - I'm not particularly saying on the pitch, but I think I’m right in saying half the squad at least is either on loan or coming up to having their contracts renewed.
"You'll have players who want to stay but aren’t allowed to stay yet or can’t get the deal they potentially want, and then the club can use that (the takeover situation) for the players they don’t want to potentially keep, so there’s so many bits and bobs that can be factored in when the ownership hasn’t been sorted out.”
Everton currently has the likes of Neal Maupay and Mason Holgate out on loan whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jack Harrison, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Idrissa Gueye, Michael Keane, and many more see their contracts run out in 2025. Jagielka hopes the takeover can solve these issues which could break apart the current Everton squad.
"So if we can get the takeover done - we’d like it today, tomorrow or within a week but preferably before the transfer window - we can get things moving in the right direction and we can hopefully secure the players we want to keep, give a straight-up answer to the players who potentially won’t be here next season, and hopefully get a chance to go and strengthen in January. That would be the perfect scenario for the club."
"No one else does it in the Premier League so how are you supposed to run a squad when most of the squad are out of contract? It happens a lot in the Championship because there’s more turnover, with free transfers and more wheeling and dealing, but to try and compete in the best league in the world, and over half of your players don’t have a clue about their future… okay, some are on loan, and they could always go back to their clubs, but the ones who aren’t, they're only human.
"The majority of the time the player who has got two or three years left on his contract will be the one who plays his best football because that’s all he’s got to concentrate on. But realistically we’re going into the last six months of people’s contracts and Sean (Dyche) can’t go around - well, he has to - and say, ‘I don’t know what’s happening’.”
"You are going to get more relaxed and better performances from the coaching staff and the players, and everyone around the place, if they know where they are and what they’re going to be doing next season."