Manchester City have announced Yaya Toure has put pen to paper on a new one-year deal keeping him at the club until the end of next season.
The 34-year-old’s previous contract was due to expire this summer and Pep Guardiola’s decision to hand the veteran midfielder an extension caps what has been a remarkable turnaround for the City legend.
Toure started the season in exile and seemingly with no future under Guardiola but the former Ivory Coast international worked his way into contention and finished the season as one of their most important players.
However, form alone didn’t make it certain that Guardiola would sanction another 12 months for the midfielder but Toure was determined not to let his City career come to an end and has been rewarded as a result.
“I’m delighted,” Toure told the club's official website. “I told myself the journey at City is not done and when I talked to the manager I was very delighted.
“When I was first coming here [in 2010] I was trying to be part of a new story, of something special at this club. I am very lucky now to be part of a great club with great players around me who are helping me to achieve my targets.
“I want to win trophies, that is very important to me. I want to enjoy it at this age still and remaining here is a massive thing. It is a great club, going in the right direction with new players who are coming in. Our mentality is always to win week in week out and I’m delighted with the fans as well.”
Toure will go down as one of the club’s best ever players when his time at City does come to an end but he proved towards the end of the season what a valuable player he can still be despite his age.
The former Barcelona midfielder was the player that provided Guardiola’s team with control and that is evident by the fact he averaged more passes per game in the Premier League than any teammate (71.9).
For more stats on Yaya Toure, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
