Liverpool’s veteran centre-back, Kolo Toure, has insisted that he wants to continue playing for the club and that the arrival of new signing Joel Matip does not mean his time is coming to an end on Merseyside.
Toure told the Liverpool Echo that he wants to prove to his team mates and manager that he deserves a new contract and to remain at the club for a further 12 months.
The 34-year-old Ivorian international’s contract runs out in the summer and the Echo expect that he will not be offered a new one, making him a free agent come June.
However, Toure refuses to accept that Matip’s arrival from Schalke on a free transfer signals he has no future at Liverpool.
Toure has become somewhat of a fan-favourite since signing from Manchester City three seasons ago.
He said: “It doesn’t matter what other people say, I have this smile, I’m very happy and I always give 100% for this club. This club is amazing.”
The Liverpool number 4 believes that his form is good enough to persuade the people at the club that he can still play at the highest level.
He added: “If I keep performing that will force people to change their minds (about a new contract). Sometimes you can make people change their minds by performing well and that’s my challenge right now.”
Toure has already featured heavily this season due to the injuries suffered by fellow centre-back team mates, Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel.
Whilst he may not be the most naturally gifted footballer, no one can argue about the amount of effort and passion he puts in for the team, a trait that is always appreciated by fans and players alike.
Toure says he wants to continue playing past this current season regardless of whether he is offered a new contract. Despite not always being played, Toure remains grateful to the fans for the support they show:
“They love me and every day they sing my song, even when I wasn’t playing a lot. This is really special and I will keep fighting for them and I will keep fighting for the club.”
With a cup final only days away and a crucial second-leg fixture with Ausburg midweek, Kolo insists that whoever plays well on Thursday night will be rewarded with a cup final place.
He also added, however, that the team are all fully focussed on the Europa League match and are not thinking about the final just yet.
“We have to take it game by game,” he said. “We can’t think about Wembley because the next game is the most important one.”
With a big week ahead, the experienced players in the squad, like Kolo, will be crucial towards achieving total success.
