Hayden Mullins has exclusively revealed his delight at
signing a new long-term contract with West Ham United
yesterday.
The Hammers midfielder agreed a new four-year deal on the same day that Eggert Magnusson completed his takeover at Upton Park, and admits he is now looking forward to a new era both personally and on a Club level.
"I'm delighted to have signed the new deal and glad that I have committed my future to West Ham," says Hayden. "The Club has moved on so much since I first arrived, and it was an easy decision for me to make.
"When I joined in the Championship, it was all ifs, buts and maybes, but since then we've won promotion to the Premiership, had an FA Cup final and qualified for Europe.
"Now the takeover has happened, and I'm sure the new owner has got a lot of ambition to push the Club on even further. He has already said that he will make money available for the manager in January, and we've heard that the training ground is going to be improved, so it all looks good."
Having originally joined the Hammers just days after Alan Pardew took over as manager back in October 2003, Hayden is certainly used to seeing his own new beginnings coincide with those at Upton Park, and he admits to being relieved that the speculation surrounding the Club in recent weeks has now come to an end.
"It's been going on for a while now and the boys didn't really know too much about what was going on," he says. "All we knew was what we read in the press like everyone else, so to have it all sorted out now is a relief.
"I think it's fair to say that, looking back, when Carlos and Javier came in and the whole whirlwind started, it did have a bit of an effect. But I wouldn't use that as an excuse, and we certainly can't blame the takeover speculation for that losing run we had.
"At the end of the day, it was still all going on when we beat Blackburn and then Arsenal, so I don't think it really had that big an impact on results. It was just a case of going on a bad run, which all teams suffer at one point or another. We know we are a good team, and now we are starting to prove it again.
"It's good to know that we can get on with the season now and not have any uncertainty flying around, which can only be good for the manager and the team. It's time to look forward now and there is a lot to be excited about."
And after a roller-coaster three years in the claret and blue, Hayden admits he looks back on his time at Upton Park so far with a tinge of regret but far more affection and happiness.
"There were a lot of changes going on when I first joined the Club, but I was happy to sign and saw it as a big step forward for me - which has been proved by what we have achieved.
"The last three years have been excellent, with the exception of a couple of blips - the play-off final against Palace and, for me personally, missing out on the FA Cup final against Liverpool last season.
"I will always have a regret about the cup final, because it would have been the biggest match of my career, and people are still talking about it as one of the greatest ever finals…which doesn't make me feel any better!
"I suppose it's only in years to come that I will look back and think about how big a regret it was - hopefully I will get to play in another one before the end of my career and that will certainly help to make up for it.
"There is no reason why we can't enjoy that kind of success again at West Ham, and I couldn't be any happier at the Club. The staff here are terrific, I get on with all the players, and there is a lot to look forward to, so I didn't have to think twice about signing a new contract."
The Hammers midfielder agreed a new four-year deal on the same day that Eggert Magnusson completed his takeover at Upton Park, and admits he is now looking forward to a new era both personally and on a Club level.
"I'm delighted to have signed the new deal and glad that I have committed my future to West Ham," says Hayden. "The Club has moved on so much since I first arrived, and it was an easy decision for me to make.
"When I joined in the Championship, it was all ifs, buts and maybes, but since then we've won promotion to the Premiership, had an FA Cup final and qualified for Europe.
"Now the takeover has happened, and I'm sure the new owner has got a lot of ambition to push the Club on even further. He has already said that he will make money available for the manager in January, and we've heard that the training ground is going to be improved, so it all looks good."
Having originally joined the Hammers just days after Alan Pardew took over as manager back in October 2003, Hayden is certainly used to seeing his own new beginnings coincide with those at Upton Park, and he admits to being relieved that the speculation surrounding the Club in recent weeks has now come to an end.
"It's been going on for a while now and the boys didn't really know too much about what was going on," he says. "All we knew was what we read in the press like everyone else, so to have it all sorted out now is a relief.
"I think it's fair to say that, looking back, when Carlos and Javier came in and the whole whirlwind started, it did have a bit of an effect. But I wouldn't use that as an excuse, and we certainly can't blame the takeover speculation for that losing run we had.
"At the end of the day, it was still all going on when we beat Blackburn and then Arsenal, so I don't think it really had that big an impact on results. It was just a case of going on a bad run, which all teams suffer at one point or another. We know we are a good team, and now we are starting to prove it again.
"It's good to know that we can get on with the season now and not have any uncertainty flying around, which can only be good for the manager and the team. It's time to look forward now and there is a lot to be excited about."
And after a roller-coaster three years in the claret and blue, Hayden admits he looks back on his time at Upton Park so far with a tinge of regret but far more affection and happiness.
"There were a lot of changes going on when I first joined the Club, but I was happy to sign and saw it as a big step forward for me - which has been proved by what we have achieved.
"The last three years have been excellent, with the exception of a couple of blips - the play-off final against Palace and, for me personally, missing out on the FA Cup final against Liverpool last season.
"I will always have a regret about the cup final, because it would have been the biggest match of my career, and people are still talking about it as one of the greatest ever finals…which doesn't make me feel any better!
"I suppose it's only in years to come that I will look back and think about how big a regret it was - hopefully I will get to play in another one before the end of my career and that will certainly help to make up for it.
"There is no reason why we can't enjoy that kind of success again at West Ham, and I couldn't be any happier at the Club. The staff here are terrific, I get on with all the players, and there is a lot to look forward to, so I didn't have to think twice about signing a new contract."