West Ham Captain, Mark Noble has announced that he has signed a new one-year contract but will depart the club after 2021-22 season.
In an open letter to West Ham fans, Noble ‘personally’ wrote of how ‘delighted’ he is to sign a new one-year deal, although he went on to admit that next season will be his 18th and final season for the club after ‘much consideration’ and discussion with family, friends and colleagues at the club.
His decision to sign that new contract offer came after Noble felt that he ‘firmly’ has more to offer on the pitch, adding: ‘I would not have signed a new contract if I didn’t feel I could do myself justice or bring value to the team.’
As part of his discussions, Noble spoke with manager – David Moyes who is keen to build something that takes West Ham ‘forward in a positive way’ as they mount a top four challenge with Noble fully believing in their project and is keen to continue promoting the club’s values to other players.
Noble has often been ‘lucky’ to avoid serious injuries throughout his career and the 33 year-old has admitted that this past year has been the ‘most unusual’ of his playing career as the Coronavirus pandemic forced fixtures behind-closed-doors in all competitions as the Hammers scrapped for survival at end of last season.
The midfielder went on to speak of that battle uniting the team and driving them forward to fifth in the current Premier League standings, with Noble describing the spirit as ‘second to none’ amongst him and his fellow players as they continue to pull together in their bid for Champions League football.
Fans however are set to return to football stadiums from mid-May which spurred Noble on to sign his new contract because to depart in front of an empty stadium would of ‘been tinged with sadness’, when he could bow out in front of 60k fans at the end of next season which Noble feels is more realistic.
Noble however is focused on the task in hand in terms of continuing to put the club before himself and is motivated to continue to push forward for rest of this and throughout next season, with the aim of building on ‘consistency and progress’.
Having grown up near West Ham’s former Boleyn Ground, Noble feels ‘immensely proud’ to have played and captained the club, including in their final season at their former stadium before moving to the London Stadium in Summer 2016.
He went on to admit that he didn’t expect to have played for the club as long as he has done but that every single minute has been ‘special’ in that he represented ‘you’ as in the fans., although he wishes that now is not a time of reflection or reminiscing as the club look to continue their progress.
As for his future plans, Noble confirmed that he is unsure of what lies ahead but commented that he has learned to not ‘look too far ahead,’ because of how fast football can change, although he hasn’t ruled out a role within the Academy after spending time at Chadwell Heath alongside coaches and staff with his son – who is now part of their junior academy.
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