Jordan Pickford has admitted he would love to create a "legacy" at Everton following recent reports the club were preparing to offer the goalkeeper a new contract.
The England No.1 was one of the most crucial aspects in the Blues confirming their Premier League status last season, winning the club's Player Of The Year honour thanks to a string of excellent performances throughout the campaign. That continued a period of consistency which has helped him produce his best form since joining the club from Sunderland in 2017.
Last month, the Guardian reported that Everton could be willing to reward their shot-stopper with new terms thanks to those displays - with his current deal due to expire in 2024. And now, Pickford has admitted he would love to create a legacy with the club - highlighting how crucial the fans were to the side's performances at the end of 2021/22.
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The goalkeeper told the club's official YouTube channel : "There's always been a good legacy of goalkeepers here at the club, going back to the Neville Southall days - Tim Howard's had a great career here as well. So I think Everton's always been good to the goalkeepers.
"For me it'd be really good to have a legacy here, and hopefully this is the start of something. I've been here five years now, last season I think I played my part in keeping us up.
"Building a legacy here, having the fans buzzing off you, having the flag there behind the Gwladys Street is an amazing feeling. So yeah building a legacy is something I'd be really passionate about.
"When the fans came out on the Gwladys Street, all around the stadium, when we were leaving the training ground, at the hotel - with the flares and the support it touches your heart really.
"I had a big adrenaline rush from it, it gave me so much more belief, and I think speaking for myself and the team it gave us a lot more belief and how much support I had behind us to give us a boot to get those wins was crucial.
"Hopefully we'll have the same next year with the fans on our side as well."
Pickford has firmly established himself as one of Everton's top performers in recent years after finding the strongest form of his career, for both club and country. Having been on Merseyside for five years now, he admits that he has changed both as a person and as a footballer during that time.
The England international believes that he has become more mature thanks to his spell at Goodison Park, but he is firmly focused on improving more and more in the future.
"I've matured as a person, got a family now, a little boy. I've changed as a person more than as a footballer," he added.
"But as a footballer I'm definitely getting better. You learn a lot more about yourself and over the five years I think I've become more consistent and I'm definitely getting better as I get older.
"Personally for me it's just about getting better, helping the team like I try and do week in week out.
"I don't give myself many targets each year, I just try and make sure I do better than I did last season. Hopefully I'll be more consistent, which I feel I have been for the last 18 months to two years now.
"So yeah just keep putting in those top performances, when called upon help the team, get Everton three points and send the fans home with happy faces each week."
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