Yes to Yaya! Toure vows to continue making history as he agrees new £45m, four-year deal at City
By David Kent
PUBLISHED: 15:12, 4 April 2013 | UPDATED: 18:10, 4 April 2013
Yaya Toure has vowed to deliver more success to Manchester City after signing a new deal worth nearly £45m over four years.
The Ivorian midfielder, 29, has agreed a new contract worth around £11m a year, just a couple of weeks after he was reportedly on the verge of quitting the club.
His wages of just over £210,000-a-week will remain unchanged.
All smiles: Yaya Toure signs a new contract witnessed by the Director of Football Txiki Begiristain
Put it there: Toure shakes hands with Begiristain
Warm embrace: Toure hugs Begiristain after putting pen to paper on his new deal
After signing, Toure told City’s official website: ‘This is where I want to be. When I first arrived at City every time I went to sleep I would dream about us winning something; now it is about us being the best team in whatever competition we take part in.
‘I will never forget how I have been treated here by the fans, the club and the owners and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to finish my career as a Manchester City player.
‘I want to continue winning titles and trophies and continue to make history. I have enjoyed all of my time here and can’t wait for the next chapter.
‘This is an incredible club to be part of with fans that support the team to the end whatever the circumstances.’
Turning the focus to next season’s title challenge, he added: ‘Of course now it looks likely that we wil not successfully defend the Premier League title and that it is sad for all of us but we can still finish second and win the FA Cup for second time in three years and that is still an achievement for a club that won nothing for a long time.
‘We must try to finish on a high note and then start preparing to win more next season. Football is always a challenge and always a puzzle to solve and that is why we all love the game.
The deal is done! Yaya Toure on his phone at Carrington today as he agreed a new four-year contract at Manchester City worth around £45m‘You have to use your skill, intelligence and strength to constantly improve and that is what we at City intend to do.’
Toure, who joined from Barcelona for £24m in the summer of 2010, had grown frustrated at a lack of progress in contract negotiations and his agent Dimitri Seluk went on record to say the player could move in the summer.
But the defending Premier League champions have moved quickly to complete negotiations after the international break and confirmed an agreement has been reached today.
His influence in City’s midfield remains as strong as ever and Toure was a little confused that a new contract had not been sorted in the first half of the season.
City’s hope of retaining the Barclays Premier League look slim as rivals United currently enjoy a 15-point lead at the top, but they could reduce that deficit in Monday’s derby at Old Trafford.
Influence: Toure has been a powerful presence in City’s midfield since arriving from Barcelona in 2010
Spectacular: Toure scores on the volley for City against Ajax in the Champions League earlier this seasonAfter three years at Barcelona, Toure joined big-spending City for a fee of around £24m on July 2, 2010 and was allocated shirt number 42 – the reverse of the 24 jersey he worse at Barca.
The move reunited Yaya with his elder brother Kolo, who has signed from Arsenal a year earlier.
The new signing made his Premier League debut on August 14 in a goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and scored his first goal just over a month later against Wigan Athletic.
His inaugural season ended in personal and team success as City ended a 35-year trophy drought by winning the FA Cup at Wembley, with Toure scoring not only the winner in the semi-final with Man United but the final against Stoke.
Happy: Toure has committed himself to City for another four years despite Man United looking likely to snatch the title back this season
The wait is over: Toure was instrumental in City’s FA Cup success of 2011, which ended a trophy drought of 35 yearsHe excelled the following year, as City reeled in United’s eight-point advantage to win their first Premier League title. His commanding performances in midfield were a key factor in this success, notably a display in the late season 1-0 win over United that was variously described as ‘dominant’ and ‘magnificent.’
Earlier this season, Toure won the African Player of the Year accolade for the second successive year.
He has won 75 caps for the Ivory Coast, scoring 13 goals.
Source Dailmail
