Gerrard agrees new Liverpool deal
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Gerrard: "I want to stay here for as long as possible."
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LIVERPOOL, England -- Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has signed a new contract that will keep him on Merseyside until 2007, the Premier League club said.
The 23-year-old England midfielder, who took over the club captaincy from Sami Hyypia last month, is a product of Liverpool's youth academy and had been widely expected to sign a new deal.
"I've been here since I was eight years old and there has never been a single moment when I have wanted to move on and play for someone else," Gerrard told the club's website.
"I want to win a lot more trophies with the club, I want to get them back into the Champions League and I want to stay here for as long as possible. This is a club I have supported since I was a young boy and I don't want to leave."
The new contract for Gerrard, who helped Liverpool win the FA, League and UEFA cups in 2001, will also be a welcome lift for manager Gerard Houllier.
Frenchman Houllier has been criticised after Liverpool's recent performances, with the five defeats so far this season leaving them eighth in the table and all but wrecking their hopes of a first league title since 1990.
Houllier said: "I'm proud of how Stevie has developed and maybe one day he could win the award that Michael (Owen) won -- the European Footballer of the Year trophy."
Manager Gerard Houllier told the club's website: "I'm proud of how Stevie has developed and maybe one day he could win the award that Michael (Owen) won -- the European Footballer of the Year trophy.
"He knows exactly where we want to go and that's why he's committed his future to Liverpool."
