Q&ACeri Holland interview: 'I'm excited to move forward with this team and see where we can go'

The 27-year-old extended her stay with the club on Tuesday by putting pen to paper on fresh terms.

The midfielder, who has made 107 appearances in her four-and-a-half years as a Red so far, sat down with Liverpoolfc.com at the AXA Melwood Training Centre to discuss her new deal and enthusiasm for the coming months.

Read on for the full transcript…

Ceri, congratulations on the new deal. How pleased are you to commit your future to Liverpool?

I'm really excited. It was something that's been going on in the background for a little bit now and I'm just happy to have it done. I'm excited to move forward with this team and see where we can go.

You were 23 when you first arrived here and you're 27 now. How do you feel you've grown professionally and personally in those four years?

It's both, I think. It's been an amazing four years. I've really, really enjoyed my time here. We've obviously had a lot of success. I also think there's a lot more that we can give and a lot more to build on. I think that was a major part of me re-signing. I can see there's potential here for us to grow as a group. I think we've got a really good set of girls and our squad has got a lot of talent. I'm excited and looking forward to the future.

• Register your interest for LFC Women 2025-26 season and match tickets here

And is it the success you feel that you can have on the pitch that's motivated you to stay? Or is it also the unique team spirit that exists amongst the team? It's something very special here...

I think it's a little bit of both. I want to win things and I want to have success with this club. I feel like I can contribute and really help us grow to the next level, and I think that's something that I want to build towards in the next few years. But also, we have a really, really good set of people here and I love the atmosphere within the training ground and through the whole staff and the players. I think it's a really nice place to come in every single day and I thoroughly enjoy it.

Does it feel like the team is building something quite special here?

Exactly. We didn't have the success that we wanted last season, and I think we're very realistic to that. I think we have the group here to build. We're a very, very young squad. I'm probably one of the most experienced ones at 27, so I think that is a very telling sign of the youth that we have. I'm really looking forward to kind of helping develop that and also have as much success on the pitch as we can, because we're a team of winners. We want to win things and I think there's a lot of motivation within the group.

How does the Ceri Holland that arrived when you were 23 compare to now? How have you evolved as a player while you've been here?

I think I've evolved both on and off the pitch. I think you grow in confidence as you get more experience, and I think that's what I've given in the past few years. I've become more consistent in my performances. I think when I first arrived I had a really good six months in that Championship season but the season had probably gone. It's exciting. I feel like I've probably moulded into a bit more of a leader than I was, which naturally comes with evolving with the group. I just want to give as much as I can and help as much as I can to get to where I think we should be.

Is the leadership side of the game something that you relish and enjoy?

I think it's something you've got to embrace. I think it's something that probably doesn't come natural to me. I think I like to lead with the way that I play on the pitch. I've always said that I'll try to lead in the way that I hold myself on the pitch and off the pitch, and hopefully it's more like an example to other players. It's something that is constantly evolving. I've still got so, so much to learn. I'm excited to hopefully grow.

And what about the hopes for the coming season and building on last season? I guess you would have aspirations of finishing a bit higher...

Completely. Two years ago we came fourth and we wanted to build on that last season and sadly it didn't go the way we wanted it to. I think there were challenges thrown at us as a group and we had to deal with them. Also, we have to become more consistent, and I think that's all that's missing at the moment. We just have to be consistent in our performances. I think if we can add that to us and continue to add to the group, we'll be in a really good place.

That's probably the big question in how you work on that consistency and how you get it...

That's the golden piece but we'll continue to work on that and continue to grow.

Before you even think about domestic matters, there's the matter of the Women's Euros this summer. Just how proud does it make you to represent Wales?

It's going to be the proudest moment of my life, I think. It's something that we've worked towards as a group for many, many years and many players before us have got us to where we are today. To represent our country in a major tournament, it was always a dream of mine since I've been a little girl. I think it'll be a massive, massive moment for me personally but also for my family. They're so proud and they're my biggest fans, so it's really nice to see them. They're all coming out to Switzerland, so that'll be a really special moment. It's to give back to Wales as well. I think we've got so much that we can do there and we've had this thing the whole campaign 'for us, for them, for her' and we want to give back to Wales as well and that's really important for us.

It's the first major tournament for Wales. It will be an honour regardless but to be able to be a part of that is such an historic moment for the nation...

It's going to be game-changing, I think, for us. I think you look at what the men did back in 2016 and we're hoping that we can kind of replicate that kind of success and build on that. Hopefully we can kind of get that buzz in Wales and for girls to play football, because that is our aim. But it's also to do as well as we can. We'll go there with no fear and there's expectation within the group. Outside of that, I don't think there's much expectation of us. I think that's a really special place to be in. We've got high expectations [of] ourselves and we'll go there and show what we can do.

Professionally as a player as well, to be able to test yourself against some of the elites in the game must be a prospect you're really relishing…

I think that's one of the things I'm most excited about. It's what I want. I want to play against the best players. I think this league does give back. We play against the best players week in, week out. But to do it on an international stage is different and to do it for your country is different again. I'm really, really excited to do that. I think we've got some tough games and we're not hiding away from the fact of that. But we're really excited by the challenge and I can't wait to see where I stand up against them.

Lastly, you've obviously been here in Liverpool for just over four years now. How has the city become a second home to you in that time?

It definitely has. I kind of consider it my home at the moment. It's become, as you say, a second home. I think I've got to know so many people within the city. I've got a family away from home now and that's really special. Another massive part of being happy off the pitch is being happy where you are and the people surrounding you. I think that's a massive, massive part of why I wanted to continue my journey.