Jordan Pickford has signed a new deal with Everton. The 31-year-old has put pen to paper on a four-year contract that will extend his stay on Merseyside beyond a decade.
It is the latest boost for the club and manager David Moyes, who quickly identified the defensive axis of Pickford and centre backs James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite as being integral to his efforts to pull Everton away from successive years of relegation battles and towards competing for Europe. All three have now penned extensions.
Pickford signed off on the new deal, reported by the ECHO earlier this week, after returning to Finch Farm from another successful international stint with England. He kept clean sheets in the wins over Wales and Latvia to retain his grip on the number one jersey heading towards the World Cup next summer.
In the win in Riga on Tuesday he made his 80th appearance for England and extended his record run of consecutive games without conceding a goal to nine matches.
It was during coverage of that match that former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon, while commentating for ITV, questioned why Pickford - who, as England number one since 2018 has been critical to the side reaching two Euros finals and the later stages of two World Cups - had not moved to a "bigger club". The comment sparked a retort from Everton on social media, the club drawing Dixon's attention to its trophy haul and optimism over the future following the move to Hill Dickinson Stadium this season.
Yet while Everton's plight has been at the wrong end of the Premier League table over recent years, Pickford's loyalty to the club he joined from Sunderland in 2017 has never waned. Grateful for the faith shown when the Blues spent £30m on him, the platform they have given him for his England career and the support of the fanbase, his latest deal was never expected to encounter difficulties when talks began last month. Pickford's camp had intimated a willingness to discuss fresh terms earlier in the summer and the club considered those talks a priority once a transfer window of huge transition closed.
Upon confirmation a deal had been agreed Pickford, who has registered 326 appearances for Everton, said: "I'm delighted. Delighted to get it done - it's an extra two years, so four years in total. I'm over the moon and it gives me the opportunity to build a legacy for myself here, move forward and build this club to where we want to be.
"Everton is a really special club to me. Coming from Sunderland as a young lad and growing into a man here, it's been a special time for me and my family. I think everyone's seen the changes and how I've developed over time, but I'm still that lad who loves to keep the ball out of the net. It's been Everton who have helped me develop and a lot of hard work's been put in as well.
"It's always felt like a natural fit for me, with the fans and the passion - it's second to none and something I thrive off. It's been a mega journey so far."
Everton have started the new campaign well, picking up 11 points from the opening seven league matches and starting life on the Mersey waterfront unbeaten. Key to that run has once again been Pickford, who saved a penalty in the 2-0 win over Brighton, the first competitive game at the new stadium, and kept Everton in the game against Crystal Palace before two late goals sealed a memorable win before this latest international break.
The positivity of the present follows several chaotic years of relegation fights set against the backdrop of wider turmoil at the club, on and off the pitch. Through those years no player did more on the pitch than Pickford to stave off the threat of what would have been a catastrophic drop into the Championship.
Amid that challenging period he made some of the most important saves in the club's history and emerged as a leader in the dressing room. Former manager Frank Lampard handed him the captain's armband, a source of immense pride for Pickford, while he provided Sean Dyche with a much-needed boost when he agreed his last contract with the club in crisis in February 2023. The length of his latest deal will take him into the twilight years of his career.
Pointing to that, Pickford added: "It's great. It just shows the commitment I've made to Everton and also the faith the Club has put into me as well. I want to keep building that legacy. You know, [Neville] Southall is the great at Everton and I don't want to be too far behind him, if not in front of him, when my time comes to an end.
"The main thing is to win games and be part of a team that's winning games and being successful. I've always said, for me, it's about the fans going home happy after a match. They put in a lot of hard work and invest a lot of time and money into following us, so there's nothing better than repaying them with big moments and performances."