McCarthy: Everton ambition convinced me to stay

Mark Holmes
James McCarthy: Signed new five-year contract at Everton

James McCarthy: Signed new five-year contract at Everton

James McCarthy says Everton’s ambition in refusing to sell John Stones to Chelsea convinced him to sign a new contract at Goodison Park.

McCarthy was linked with a move to Tottenham over the summer following reports he was unhappy that Everton had broken certain contractual promises, but the midfielder eventually put pen to paper on a new five-year deal having been impressed by the Toffees’ stance over Stones.

“That was massive,” McCarthy said.

“It just shows we want to build and we want to do well – it’s a measure of the ­ambition here at Everton.

“The manager, the ­chairman, the whole club made a big statement in the summer by keeping everyone together.

“And this could be a really big season for us.

“Kevin Mirallas signed a new contract as well as myself, and we kept Stonesy.

“We also brought in Tom Cleverley, Gerard Deulofeu, Aaron Lennon and Ramiro Funes Mori, all international players, and you can see that we are trying to build for the future.

“We have a really good squad at Goodison Park and we believe we are ­going places.

“It’s just a fantastic football club and, while I was aware of the rumours about my own ­future, my focus was on Everton and I was delighted to commit my future to the club for the long term.”