Noble confirms new West Ham contract is his last with no coaching talks yet held
Mark Noble has confirmed that next season will be his last as a West Ham player.
The Hammers captain, known as ‘Mr West Ham’ after making over 500 appearances for the club, has signed a new one-year contract.
But Noble, 33, will hang up his boots as a Hammer at the end of next season – after 18 seasons with his boyhood club.
He said: “I am delighted to have accepted the opportunity to extend my contract with the Club, until the summer of 2022.
“I have also decided, after much consideration, that the 2021/22 season will be my 18th and final one as a first-team player at West Ham United.
“It is a decision I have made following a lot of discussion with my family, my friends and people at the football club.”
Noble, voted Hammer of the Decade in 2019, announced the news in an emotional open letter to fans posted on the club website.
It read: “I, for one, have missed you so much. Walking out at London Stadium in front of 60,000 people, listening to Bubbles ringing out and the roar when it stops just before kick-off – there is nothing quite like it.
“It’s also another part of the reason I have signed the contract extension. The thought of finishing my career playing for West Ham in empty stadiums is something I can’t comprehend.
“Next season is going to be very emotional for me, but right now is not the time for reflection or looking back on my career.
"I don't know what my future beyond that holds just yet. If there is one thing I have learned in football, is that you can't look too far ahead, because things can always change very quickly."
Once a fixture in the Hammers midfield, Noble has started only three league games this season as Declan Rice and Thomas Soucek have formed a formidable partnership.
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Noble said: “I still firmly believe I have a lot to offer on the pitch. I would not have signed a new contract if I didn't feel I could do myself justice.
“I still wake up every morning with that excitement in my stomach, eager to work hard alongside the players and keep pushing the changing room on."
West Ham are keen to find Noble a role at the club when he retires, and he has spoken in the past of taking up coaching, though talks are yet to take place.
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