Liverpool FC have announced that midfielder Lucas Leiva, 24, has signed a long-term contract extension with the club which will keep him at Anfield for the foreseeable future. The Brazilian international had signed for Liverpool from Grêmio for £5M in 2007, and despite having some initial difficulty settling into the Premier League has now emerged from the shadow of Xabi Alonso and become one of the club’s most influential players.
Lucas Leiva Signs Contract Extension With Liverpool
Lucas was adamant that he wanted to stay at Liverpool past the end of his original contract, and the club were more than happy to keep one of the top defensively-minded midfielders in the league. When both sides want a deal to happen, it doesn’t take much to make it work, although the extension apparently took a few months to negotiate. Liverpool’s Director of Football Damien Comolli gushed about Lucas in a statement on the club’s official website:
One of the first things I did after I arrived was to look at the contract situation and to see where Lucas was at. I knew we had to do something quickly because we couldn’t afford to lose him and didn’t want to lose him.
If you look at his playing record he started 46 games last year in all competitions and this year it will be between 45 and 50. He is exactly what we want. He has the right mentality, quality and attitude. He understands what this club is all about and even though the discussions went on for quite a long time he always said to me ‘I want to stay and we need to find a solution’
Lucas seems pretty happy to be staying too, being quoted by ESPN as saying that he now feels like an important player at Anfield:
For me it was an easy decision because I know how big Liverpool are and I can see Liverpool are committed to me and are planning for a future with me. The effort from the club was amazing and that makes me feel an important player.
For Liverpool this was really a no-brainer. Although many will point to Steven Gerrard as their post important force, the key to the team’s success lies not with their talismanic captain but rather with a fairly quiet blond defensive midfielder. Lucas’ presence is vital to the club going forward - but fortunately they won’t have to worry about him going anywhere for a while yet.
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