Ayre: Steven is a global football icon
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre today welcomed news that Steven Gerrard has signed a contract extension - and emphasised the skipper's importance in helping to attract new players to the club.
The 33-year-old, who missed just two games in the Barclays Premier League during 2012-13, put pen to paper on the fresh deal at Melwood on Monday.
Afterwards, Ayre spoke to LFC TV about the level of respect Gerrard commands within the game and why he's delighted the midfielder has committed his future to the Reds.
He said: "Whether it's with agents or players when you go through the process of bringing players in, there are two or three things that exist within this football club that attract players and Steven is definitely one of those.
"When you talk to players when we're signing them, they're always very interested to meet Steven and get to know him because he's just such a global football icon.
"We're very fortunate to have him and to have him as our captain."
The Reds lost Jamie Carragher to retirement in May this year, and so manager Brendan Rodgers moved quickly to ensure Gerrard remains a Melwood regular for years to come.
And Ayre explained just how valuable Gerrard's leadership and experience will be as the club looks to progress over the coming seasons.
He said: "Brendan made it very clear, very early. He recognised with the loss of Jamie [Carragher] just how important players like Steven are - players who really know what the club is all about. Players who are leaders and show leadership on and off the pitch.
"We've brought in a lot of younger players over the last year or so, but it's important to have that experience and particularly a captain and leader like Steven.
"Brendan was at the forefront of asking us to get this sorted and, as always with Steven, it was a pretty easy job because we knew he wanted to be here, we wanted him to be here, so we put it to bed pretty quickly."