Today West Ham United officially confirmed that Winston Reid had signed a new contract which would keep him at the club until 2021. The long-term deal had already been announced by several newspapers and ‘insider’ sources on twitter so it came as no surprise when the official announcement was made early this morning.
After declaring that we was settled in London – thus ruling out a move to Manchester United, Everton or Liverpool – the New Zealand international defender had been attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham but has opted to stay at West Ham. This was probably the best career move that Reid could have made; he is settled here, established in the first team and appreciated by a tremendous set of fans.
A move to Tottenham would have been suicidal with West Ham fans hating him and Reid joining the selection merry-go-round that Tottenham’s abundance of central defenders (Vertonghen, Kaboul, Fazio, Dier, Chiriches, and Capoue) are all too familiar with. Equally, West Ham was a better option than Arsenal. He would have found first team opportunities limited in North London with Paulista, Mertesacker, Chambers and Koscielny all probably preferred choices. Reid, to the ‘big’ clubs, would merely be a cheap squad filler and, seen as he is entering his prime, West Ham is the club best suited to tailor for his requirements.
The move is not only beneficial for the player himself but the club too. Reid has arguably been our most consistent player of the past few seasons and is capable of becoming a club legend. Since his 2010 move from Danish outfit FC Midtjylland, the 26 year-old has gone from being virtually unknown to one of the best West Ham defenders since the turn of the century. He has well over 100 league appearances for the club, scoring 6 goals. These goals include the opener in our famous 3-0 victory against Tottenham last season and a crucial volley to defeat rivals Millwall 2-1 in our Championship season. Reid also won Hammer of the Year in the 2012/13 season with his defensive solidity laying the foundations for a successful return to the Premier League.
Both Reid and David Gold shared their delight on twitter about an agreement being reached on a new deal.
Thank you for all the kind messages I'm very happy to be able to be staying here the upcoming seasons will be so exciting with everything
— Winston Reid (@WinstonReid2) March 5, 2015
Going on in and around the club, it's a special time for everyone so look forward to being a part of it and staying here #COYI
— Winston Reid (@WinstonReid2) March 5, 2015
I am delighted to announce that after months of negotiations Winston Reid has signed a new long term contract. dg pic.twitter.com/kPBLMIxWGE
— David Gold (@davidgold) March 5, 2015
