Leeds striker Alan Smith has today pledged his future to the club by signing a new three-and-a-half year contract.
Smith's agent, Alex Black, met with Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale for further talks today and to finalise the deal which is likely to net the 22-year-old around Stg£40,000 per week.
Smith, a lifelong Leeds fan, has decided to remain at Elland Road despite rumours to the contrary in the wake of this season's high-profile departures of Rio Ferdinand, Jonathan Woodgate, Lee Bowyer, Robbie Fowler, Olivier Dacourt and Robbie Keane.
Elsewhere on the contract front Southampton striker James Beattie has signed a new contract which will tie him at St Mary's until 2006.
Beattie, scorer of 16 top-flight goals this season, put pen to paper on his new deal today after discussions with Saints chairman Rupert Lowe.
The 24-year-old, whose previous deal was set to expire in 2005, said that the arrivals of David Prutton, from Nottingham Forest, and Danny Higginbotham, from Derby, before the transfer window closed last week helped him to sign.
"I was more than happy to sign a new deal. The chairman convinced me of his ambitions for the club and I think we are going places," said Beattie
"We have got a good squad here, and the addition of some good young players in the likes of Danny Higginbotham and David Prutton tells me we could be on the brink of something big.
"It's a good club to play for, and I wouldn't have signed a new contract if I wasn't happy here."
Under the leadership of Gordon Strachan, Southampton have mounted a challenge for a place in Europe next season on the back of Beattie's goals.
The striker is hoping his impressive form this campaign will earn him his first call-up for the full England squad to play Australia in a friendly.
Sven-Goran Eriksson is due to name his squad for next Wednesday's clash on Saturday and Beattie, who has seen team-mate Wayne Bridge make an international breakthrough, added: "It shows that you don't have to move to one of the so-called bigger clubs to play for England."
PA