Everton have tied down goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to the club until the Summer of 2027 after England's number one committed his future to the club.
The shot-stopper has thrived at Goodison Park and was recognised for the vital role he played in ensuring the Blues were playing Premier League football this season by being named Player of the Season last campaign.
The contract extension will be met with a sigh of relief on the blue half of Merseyside as it was rumoured other clubs were keeping an eye on the 28-year-old.
Since arriving from Sunderland in 2017, Pickford has established himself as one of the world's best in his position, and has cemented his spot in the England first team.
Having earned a half-century of caps for the Three Lions, Pickford was number one for the successful World Cup campaigns and European Championship run, and has been an ever-present at Goodison.
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The future for Pickford
Speaking to EvertonTV, the goalkeeper stated: "I just want to keep working hard and performing for Everton. We know we are in a tough place at the moment in the league but I’m eager to help the team improve this season and then aim for success in the future, which will include playing in our new stadium.
“This contract will take me to more than 10 years at Everton and I want to build a legacy here to put myself up there with the likes of Neville Southall to be one of the best keepers to have played for Everton.”
Everton's future may be up in the air, with the drop to the Championship looming, but having Pickford in goal offers the Toffees a reliable pair of safe hands who possesses quality distribution on top of his ability to keep the ball out of the net.
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Life on Merseyside
The 'keeper also said: "It’s massive to sign this new contract at such a special club for me. The support I’ve had from everyone at the Club since I joined as a 22-year-old has been so important to my family and me. I’m happy here and so are my family. We love it at Everton.
“Everton is a massive club. The past few seasons have not been what we wanted but we now have a manager who I believe will point us in the right direction and get us up the table. It’s definitely my aim to be successful at this club. The fans, the staff and my teammates have been great with me from the moment I joined and I want to be great for them."
Pickford was implemented into the starting eleven immediately after making the switch from Tyneside. He played every single minute in his first Premier League season in a blue shirt, and starred in his debut campaign.
He ended the campaign by scooping up all three individual awards at the end of season honours night and evidenced what was to come from the Englishman.
A leader from the back, the number one barks orders at the backline in front of him and illustrates his passion on a weekly basis.
Next up for his side is a tricky Aston Villa side who have been dangerous but inconsistent under Spanish manager, Unai Emery.
The Blues find themselves in 16th place, one point above the drop in what has been yet another underwhelming season.
Since Sean Dyche took the reigns, Everton have looked a lot better and seem to have solidified defensively. They have claimed two clean sheets in their first trio of games under Dyche, with crucial 1-0 victories over table-topping Arsenal and relegation rivals Leeds United restoring hope for the Goodison faithful.
The panic over the Blues' number one's future is now over, and the push to be playing in the top flight next season can now continue.