Signing a new contract with Liverpool was an easy decision for Kostas Tsimikas, who is delighted to be staying at a club he now considers home.
The Greece international extended his spell with the Reds, who he joined from Olympiacos in 2020, by penning fresh terms at the AXA Training Centre on Monday.
Shortly after committing his future to the club, Tsimikas sat down with Liverpoolfc.com for an in-depth interview. See it in full below.
Kostas, congratulations on signing a new long-term contract with Liverpool. How does it feel to have extended your stay here?
Thank you very much, first of all. I feel very glad to be here to extend my contract. I feel like all the sacrifices I did and other things, the work I put in, [that] everything pays off. But this keeps me fully motivated for the rest. As I’ve said in many, many interviews, this team has many, many things to achieve all together and I wanted to be from the first minute a part of it.
Was it an easy decision to make when talks started, then?
Yeah, it was very, very easy! I think [when] both parts, me and the team, want that, it becomes much, much easier. I wanted from the start to stay here, I really love everything here: the people, every single morning when I see them here in the training ground I feel really glad, and the players, the staff, everybody. Even the weather became sweeter for me! And as I say, I am very, very glad.
You’re now 27, which is traditionally around the time a footballer comes into their prime. Why is Liverpool the right club for you at this stage of your career?
I think it is the right club because they believe in me. Always when I play for the team I give absolutely everything, I try to help everybody when I play and even if I don’t play. I think and I feel an important player for the players, for the mood especially, and when I play. I’m really, really happy to be here as I said and I think for me it was the right step to extend my contract and stay here.
You’ve been here for three years now – what is it about the club that makes it so special?
I think everything makes this club so special, especially two years ago when we won the cups and had the parade. Everybody in the team was unhappy because of the Champions League final we lost, and we came second in the league, but for the fans, we saw all the happiness on their faces at the parade and [they were] next to us, to celebrate, and that was extra motivation for us to forget everything [about] the bad things. So, that’s why this club is very blessed and everybody loves the club [and] when we go abroad, everybody has the red shirt and celebrates for us. It’s special.