Excellent news
Mark Noble has signed a new long-term contract with West Ham United
West Ham United are delighted to announce that Mark Noble has signed a new long-term contract.
The two-time Hammer of the Year put pen to paper on a deal until the summer of 2020, underlining his commitment to the Club that he joined as a 13-year-old schoolboy.
The Canning Town-born midfielder, who is the Hammers' all-time Premier League appearance record holder, said that signing a new contract with his boyhood Club was an easy decision to make.
"I'm obviously over the moon because it takes me until I'm 33!" said Noble, who passed 300 first-team games for the Club in November 2014. "I'm very happy with the contract and very grateful to the Chairmen for giving me it and I'm looking forward to the next five years.
"I love playing football and I love playing for the Club so to be rewarded with a new five-and-a-half year contract is fantastic.
"In football you don't get any younger, but I keep myself fit and this is great for me and my family, because it gives us security for the rest of our lives.
"It's not about the money, though. I always give 100 per cent in every game I play, even if it's not enough. As a West Ham fan, I know we'll lose games like everyone does, but I'm settled, I'm happy and that's when I play my best football."
While he has seemingly been around for decades - Noble actually joined the Hammers at 13 in 2000 and made his first-team debut in September 2004 - the new deal will, in theory, see the midfielder through the prime of his career.
With teammate, fellow Academy graduate and close friend James Tomkins also signing a new contract, the Club bringing in a host of top players in recent months and the 2016 move to Stratford to look forward to, the No16 has much to look forward to.
"I'm 27, 28 in May, and coming into the pinnacle of my career, really, and I've still got a few miles left in me yet, I'm sure, and I'm really hopeful it's going to be here at West Ham," he continued.
"Myself and Tonks have been here for a long time and we know what the Club is about and know everyone who is here. For all the new players who come in, we're there for them if they need to know anything, because we've been here all of our lives. It's nice that we'll be together for the next five years.
"The move to the Stadium is a major part in the Club's history, and what a place in London to have a football stadium! Things are only going to get better for the Club, as the Chairmen are looking to bring in top, top players and also look after those who have been there over the years, through the promotions and the tough times.
"When we move to that Stadium, it's going to be a massive plus for the whole Club."
In a modern football world where players move from club to club regularly, Noble is a throwback to the old days of loyal 'one-club men' like West Ham's own Trevor Brooking.
The No16 became the Hammers' youngest-ever reserve-team player when he turned out in February 2003 - three months before his 16th birthday - and signed his first full-time contract later the same year.
Noble's first-team debut arrived under Alan Pardew aged 17 years and three months in the 2-0 home League Cup second-round win over Southend United.
He has not looked back since, helping the Hammers gain promotion in 2005, enjoying loan spells with Hull City and Ipswich Town and establishing himself as a West Ham regular under Alan Curbishley during the unforgettable 'Great Escape' run in spring 2007.
After signing a new contract in summer 2007, Noble has continued to impress with his consistency, tenacity and technical ability, scoring on his 100th appearance for the Club against Blackburn Rovers in 2009.
The midfielder stayed loyal to the Hammers following relegation in 2011, scoring eight goals to help them bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt and earning his first Hammer of the Year award in the process.
A rare shoulder condition kept Noble on the side-lines during the 2012/13 season, but the fans' favourite still managed four goals as West Ham returned to the top flight with a tenth-place finish.
Last term, with the Hammers battling to avoid the drop, the east London native again stood up to be counted, starting all 38 Premier League games and being voted Hammer of the Year for a second time.
At international level, Noble was capped at every age-group level, captaining the U21s at the 2009 UEFA European Championship finals, and has been tipped for senior honours on numerous occasions.
Having penned a new five-and-a-half year contract with the Club he has represented with honour for 15 season, the 27-year-old now has the impending move to the Hammers' new home in Stratford to look forward to.
