Ashton signs new five-year deal with Hammers
Ashton has committed himself to West Ham for five more years
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Wednesday, 04, Jun 2008 10:47
Striker Dean Ashton has signed a new five-year contract with West Ham United that will keep him at Upon Park until 2013.
The club have been in negotiations with the forward since the end of the season and will hope that signing him to a new long-term deal will ward off unwanted interest in Ashton from their Premier League rivals.
Ashton had limited participation in West Ham's season as he tried to come back from a serious ankle injury which forced him to miss the whole of the 2006-07 season.
However, his impressive run of form at the end of this season earned him an England call for the friendly against Trinidad and Tobago and the 24-year-old says he is looking forward to building on that success.
He said: "I am delighted. I said all along that I wanted to sign. I feel I have still got a lot to show the football club and the fans. I am really happy that I have signed and now I can look forward to next season."
Ashton joined the Hammers in January 2006 from Crewe for £7.25million and his new deal has come just 18-months into his existing contract – which Ashton feels shows the club's commitment towards him.
He said: "I am really excited about next season. I feel I can only get better so I am really glad that I have signed and can look forward to the future. I think after the injury I had as well, it is nice the club have managed to agree with me on a new deal.
"Hopefully I can again play even better next season, score more goals and play more games."
Hammers chief executive Scott Duxbury said signing Ashton to a new long-term deal underlined the Hammers' ambitions for the future.