Tottenham backup goalkeeper Michel Vorm says it is still "such a joy" to be at Tottenham after extending his stay with the club, and is readying himself to face Newcastle in case Hugo Lloris misses Saturday's Premier League opener.
Vorm was due to be a free agent this summer, but Spurs exercised an option in his contract to keep him for an extra year.
It means the 34-year-old Dutchman will spend at least another season as Lloris' understudy, but he is perfectly happy with his role.
"We agreed the option in April and [the news] came out in June," he said. "I'm still very happy here. I didn't have other options. Maybe I would if we looked for it.
"It might be difficult to understand on the outside but I feel very appreciated here. I've been here from the start with [Mauricio] Pochettino and the staff. I've really seen us evolve to where we are now. With the new stadium coming up it's such a joy to be here.
"It depends also on the type of goalkeeper I am -- [the club] look for a certain type. And it depends on your ambitions. Of course, if there is an opportunity [elsewhere] I always would think about it, but there has never been an option too interesting for me to change this -- and I'm looking at my family as well."
Vorm's outings for Spurs have mostly come in the domestic cup competitions, and he has averaged a little over 10 matches per season during his four years with the club. But he disagrees with any notion that he has an easy job.
"In general, to be a goalkeeper, it's mentally very tough," he said. "You can see it in the World Cup final or Champions League final -- there's certain pressure.
"As back-up of Hugo, when you're called on at a club like this, everyone expects everything to be good. It's not easy. I think sometimes people underestimate how difficult it can be.
"The way we work is very intense and demanding. I think I'm a good professional. I make sure I give everything in training and [our goalkeeping coach] Toni Jimenez treats everyone the same. We push each other and train at a very high level. He works us mentally.
"It's more than shots and crosses. It's about details and precision. There's always so many things to learn, I can't even describe it -- footwork, playing from the back. It's more complicated than it looks."
With Tottenham's World Cup-winning captain Lloris only returning to training on Monday, five days before Spurs' opening Premier League match at Newcastle, Vorm could start at St James' Park.
"I need to make sure that, like always, I'm ready," he said. "I always have a spell of games. I just try and be at a certain level and, if I get the chance, to show I'm still here.
"Everybody knows Newcastle is a tough opponent. At the beginning of the season, anything can happen. We'll see who's fit and mentally ready and do what we do."