Gerrard and carra sign new contracts - Great news
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 4:27 pmSteven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher this afternoon put pen to paper on new deals that will see them devote the prime years of their careers to Liverpool Football Club and immediately set their sights on bringing the title back to Anfield.
The club captain and vice-captain returned to Merseyside from England duty just after lunchtime on Monday and met Chief Executive Rick Parry to add their signatures to new four-year contracts which will see them extend their stay at Anfield until at least 2011.
With Rafael Benitez planning big changes at the club this summer,
Gerrard and Carragher were both delighted to cement their long-term futures to the club before they break for the summer after England's trip to Estonia on Wednesday night.
LFC.TV: Jamie, is it a relief to get the new contract tied up before you head off on your holidays?
Carragher: "I am very pleased. Obviously we are both local lads and I've always said I wanted to stay here for the rest of my career. Hopefully I've got one more [contract] left in me that will take me until the end of my career. I have signed for four years and hopefully I can still be a regular in the team. That's the aim anyway."
Gerrard: "I'm really pleased too. The negotiations have gone really smoothly. Although they have been spoken about for a couple of weeks, I think it's happened pretty quickly. I'm just pleased to get it out of the way and we look forward to next season now. Hopefully over the next four years we can deliver a lot more trophies."
Was there ever any doubt that you would sign a new contract?
Gerrard: "No. Me and Jamie have spoken about it between ourselves and as soon as the club mentioned a new contract for us both, we were both delighted to sign it straight away."
The contract takes you through to 2011 and, hopefully, Liverpool will be playing in a new stadium by then…
Carragher: "That would be nice, yeah. I think it's been put back a year and hopefully the new plans will make it even better. I'm a bit older than Stevie so my aim is to still be in the team by the time we get to the new stadium. I think it's going to be brilliant for everyone - the players, the club and the supporters. My aim, as I said, is to still be a regular for Liverpool by the time we get to a new stadium."
A title win must be the goal now. Is that top of everyone's agenda?
Gerrard: "Yes. I think these are exciting times at the football club with the takeover and the new stadium. We have both signed for four years and I am sure they are going to be four exciting years. I don't see why we can't go from strength to strength and win a load more trophies, not just the Premiership but more cups as well. Having said that, we can't get away from the fact that the Premiership is the one we want."
Despite the defeat in Athens putting everyone on a downer, do you still think the future looks positive for the club?
Carragher: "You lose a game that big and you are disappointed, of course, but, if you look at the big picture, it's two European Cup finals in three years. I think we have put the club right back up there in European terms. You can't expect to win the European Cup every year but you've got to be there or thereabouts every year and that is starting to happen. We are getting to semi-finals and finals and we are knocking on the door every year. That's what Liverpool is all about. That's what it's been about in the past and I think over the last two or three years, we have got Liverpool back up there. We have also won the Super Cup twice and the UEFA Cup in 2001 so it has been a great few years for Liverpool in Europe. We would love to go close to that again but, as I say, each year you want to be knocking on the door which is what we've done."
To have signed new deals so quickly must mean you have a lot of faith in the manager's vision for the future…
Gerrard: "I think you've seen off the field that the club is wanting to move forward in the right direction. It's the same for the players and we want to back that up by delivering big performances on the pitch to make sure the club continues to be successful for years to come. It's no good all of the things happening right off the pitch if the players don't deliver on it. That's where me and Jamie and the other boys come in and hopefully we can back that up with the way we play. I think it's a good statement from the club to show that they are signing big players for a long time."
It's summertime and transfer speculation is rife. Are you like any other fans checking the papers in the morning to see who we might sign?
Carragher: "Yes! When I'm away I'm always ringing up to see what's in the Echo and to see if anything is happening. It's a long summer and the season doesn't start until the middle of August. We are just like any other fans on the street - desperate to see how things take shape. The main thing is to make sure we get the right players between now and the middle of August when the season starts - that will give us a better chance to do well in all of the competitions next season."
You've got one more match for England on Wednesday and then that's it. Are you looking forward to a well-earned break?
Gerrard: "I can't wait for it! It's been a long season and after the World Cup last year, we only got maybe two and a half weeks off before we went straight into the Champions League qualifier. It has been a long season and it's important that after Wednesday we get some rest because we want to be fresh and ready for the beginning of next season."
LFC TV
Great news, after all the delays and rumours, they have signed at last.
The club captain and vice-captain returned to Merseyside from England duty just after lunchtime on Monday and met Chief Executive Rick Parry to add their signatures to new four-year contracts which will see them extend their stay at Anfield until at least 2011.
With Rafael Benitez planning big changes at the club this summer,
Gerrard and Carragher were both delighted to cement their long-term futures to the club before they break for the summer after England's trip to Estonia on Wednesday night.
LFC.TV: Jamie, is it a relief to get the new contract tied up before you head off on your holidays?
Carragher: "I am very pleased. Obviously we are both local lads and I've always said I wanted to stay here for the rest of my career. Hopefully I've got one more [contract] left in me that will take me until the end of my career. I have signed for four years and hopefully I can still be a regular in the team. That's the aim anyway."
Gerrard: "I'm really pleased too. The negotiations have gone really smoothly. Although they have been spoken about for a couple of weeks, I think it's happened pretty quickly. I'm just pleased to get it out of the way and we look forward to next season now. Hopefully over the next four years we can deliver a lot more trophies."
Was there ever any doubt that you would sign a new contract?
Gerrard: "No. Me and Jamie have spoken about it between ourselves and as soon as the club mentioned a new contract for us both, we were both delighted to sign it straight away."
The contract takes you through to 2011 and, hopefully, Liverpool will be playing in a new stadium by then…
Carragher: "That would be nice, yeah. I think it's been put back a year and hopefully the new plans will make it even better. I'm a bit older than Stevie so my aim is to still be in the team by the time we get to the new stadium. I think it's going to be brilliant for everyone - the players, the club and the supporters. My aim, as I said, is to still be a regular for Liverpool by the time we get to a new stadium."
A title win must be the goal now. Is that top of everyone's agenda?
Gerrard: "Yes. I think these are exciting times at the football club with the takeover and the new stadium. We have both signed for four years and I am sure they are going to be four exciting years. I don't see why we can't go from strength to strength and win a load more trophies, not just the Premiership but more cups as well. Having said that, we can't get away from the fact that the Premiership is the one we want."
Despite the defeat in Athens putting everyone on a downer, do you still think the future looks positive for the club?
Carragher: "You lose a game that big and you are disappointed, of course, but, if you look at the big picture, it's two European Cup finals in three years. I think we have put the club right back up there in European terms. You can't expect to win the European Cup every year but you've got to be there or thereabouts every year and that is starting to happen. We are getting to semi-finals and finals and we are knocking on the door every year. That's what Liverpool is all about. That's what it's been about in the past and I think over the last two or three years, we have got Liverpool back up there. We have also won the Super Cup twice and the UEFA Cup in 2001 so it has been a great few years for Liverpool in Europe. We would love to go close to that again but, as I say, each year you want to be knocking on the door which is what we've done."
To have signed new deals so quickly must mean you have a lot of faith in the manager's vision for the future…
Gerrard: "I think you've seen off the field that the club is wanting to move forward in the right direction. It's the same for the players and we want to back that up by delivering big performances on the pitch to make sure the club continues to be successful for years to come. It's no good all of the things happening right off the pitch if the players don't deliver on it. That's where me and Jamie and the other boys come in and hopefully we can back that up with the way we play. I think it's a good statement from the club to show that they are signing big players for a long time."
It's summertime and transfer speculation is rife. Are you like any other fans checking the papers in the morning to see who we might sign?
Carragher: "Yes! When I'm away I'm always ringing up to see what's in the Echo and to see if anything is happening. It's a long summer and the season doesn't start until the middle of August. We are just like any other fans on the street - desperate to see how things take shape. The main thing is to make sure we get the right players between now and the middle of August when the season starts - that will give us a better chance to do well in all of the competitions next season."
You've got one more match for England on Wednesday and then that's it. Are you looking forward to a well-earned break?
Gerrard: "I can't wait for it! It's been a long season and after the World Cup last year, we only got maybe two and a half weeks off before we went straight into the Champions League qualifier. It has been a long season and it's important that after Wednesday we get some rest because we want to be fresh and ready for the beginning of next season."
LFC TV
Great news, after all the delays and rumours, they have signed at last.
clever deal by the new owners! 