Slovakian centre-half Martin Skrtel has signed a new contract with Liverpool, but earlier on in the summer, there were doubts over his future, after the defender was left offended by our offer of a renewal (via Sky Sports).
Barring Lucas, Skrtel is our longest serving player, and we’re glad the club eventually made him a suitable offer, especially considering the loyalty the player’s shown in rejecting Inter Milan’s advances.
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“Obviously there was talk about (Inter Milan) but the priority for me was always to stay at Liverpool and sign a new contract here,” Skrtel said, reported in the Echo.
“Inter Milan are a big club but to my mind Liverpool are bigger.
“I am happy because I am staying at Liverpool and they were always my first choice.
“They changed the contract so obviously the talks were a little longer than they usually are but at the end of the day we agreed and that is the most important thing.
“Liverpool are one of the biggest and best football clubs in the world in my eyes and I was always dreaming about playing in England and for a big club like Liverpool.
“My dream came true and I have been here almost eight years in the city and we are used to it now. My son (Matteo) was born in Liverpool and that was one of the main reasons I wanted to stay.
“The thing is when you play for a club like Liverpool it’s not always just about the money, it’s about the fans, the people working for the club and everything about Liverpool.”
It’s great to hear the comments from Skrtel about his passion for the club, especially considering the recent debacle surrounding a certain departing winger.
Skrtel and Lucas are the two favourites to be given the full-time Liverpool vice-captaincy, and both will be key dressing room figures due to our youthful squad.
Last season, Skrtel was our first-choice centre-half alongside either Dejan Lovren or Mamadou Sakho when we played with a back four, and it’ll be interesting to see who we go with early on – with none of the three necessarily guaranteed a starting berth.