Jason Steele has stated that he cannot imagine going anywhere else after signing a new Boro deal.
No regrets over new deal for Boro keeper
Jason Steele has expressed his delight at signing a new Middlesbrough deal and stated that he cannot imagine going anywhere else.
The England U21 goalkeeper committed his long-term future to the club earlier this week by putting pen to paper on a five-year contract.
The news came as a major boost to Boro after Steele had reportedly attracted attention from several Premier League sides, with Arsenal linked to a £4million January swoop.
Several other Boro players have accepted moves to bigger clubs in recent years but Steele maintains that he has no regrets over his decision to stay.
The 20-year-old is happy at the Riverside where he is likely to play far more regularly at this stage of his career than he might elsewhere.
"You look at Stewart Downing and Adam Johnson who moved on to bigger clubs, plus Ross Turnbull and Brad Jones, but personally it was right for me to stay here and play football," he told the
Daily Express.
"It was Ross Turnbull's decision to move and no one can ever begrudge him that because he has gone to one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"How many times are you going to get the chance to move to a club like Chelsea? How many people can say they have played in the Champions League and Premier League for Chelsea?
"Everyone is different. I have signed here until 2015 and I don't see myself going anywhere else."
International ambitions
With speculation about his future having subsided, Steele can now focus on performing as well as possible for Boro this season.
He is also hoping to be a part of Stuart Pearce's squad for the European U21 Championship in Denmark next summer.
"If I can get in the squad for that it would be absolutely brilliant because it would give me great experience for the next Under-21 qualifiers that begin in September," Steele explained.
"If I keep playing for Middlesbrough I feel I've got every chance of getting picked.
"I have seen the manager Stuart Pearce a few times. When I have played in major tournaments with England youth teams he has come along to watch them.
"Stuart Pearce is a great guy and a great manager because he has taken a very young squad and got us into the European finals. When you're playing lads who are generally two years older, that is a big achievement."
