Contract extension will give Leon Osman peace of mind says Everton boss Roberto MartinezMidfielder’s previous deal was set to expire in the summer
Roberto Martinez has revealed that he gave Leon Osman his contract extension to avoid him becoming unsettled as the January transfer window approaches.
The Everton FC midfielder’s previous deal was set to expire in the summer, and Martinez was concerned the uncertainty would be damaging for one of his most influential squad members.
Osman, 33, celebrated the new deal to keep him at Goodison until 2016 with the opening goal against Lille at Goodison on Thursday.
Martinez had previously hinted he would only discuss new terms with players approaching the end of their contracts in the new year, but he hopes the peace of mind will help Osman continue to thrive.
He said: “It was the right time to allow him to concentrate on football and only football. Now is his testimonial year, his book is out, and everything he does - the first question is “What are you doing next year?” It brings a degree of uncertainty that I don’t think is healthy and he doesn’t need it.
“He was the only player who played in every Premier League game last season and he deserves the extension.
“Now that doesn’t mean anything. I think he wants to fight for another contract and show that he can play for many years to come. We welcome that.”
Martinez believes there would have been no shortage of other clubs trying to lure Osman away from Goodison in January if his situation had remained unresolved.
He added: “I think it would have been really negative for him to have had two months thinking about his future and what’s going to happen.
“Then you have other teams interested and all of a sudden you get distracted. Now he can enjoy his football.
“He knows he’s here for the long run and he can hit the best level that he did against Lille on a consistent basis. That’s a real clarity for a footballer and he deserves that.”
Osman is 16th on the Blues all-time appearance record having played just shy of 400 games.
And the midfielder was just pleased to have his immediate future secured. “There is only one place I wanted to play football and that’s here.” he added.
“To be told I can do that for another year, I’m delighted.
“We have been talking about it for a couple of weeks now so I am glad to get it sorted.”
Source: Echo
