DANIEL AYALA is an Andalusian who has lived in England for the last nine years. During that time he has had spells with six different clubs, having opted for these shores rather than try to succeed at his boyhood club Sevilla.

From Liverpool, where he moved first during Rafael Benitez’s time, to Hull and then to Derby before Norwich and ending up temporarily at Nottingham Forest; after those came Middlesbrough.

And yet, at the age of 25 and boasting more clubs on his career list than he would have liked, Ayala makes no bones about the fact he has never felt as adored as he does at Middlesbrough; not just by the fans and team-mates, but also by the chairman, Steve Gibson.

Mark Venus, acting as caretaker boss following Tony Mowbray departure in October 2013, who pushed to sign the Spaniard from Norwich. Initially it was on loan and then Karanka made it a permanent arrangement in January.

The £350,000 signing has been a mainstay of the team since, and performances have seen his valuation rise to a staggering £15m this summer amid interest from Newcastle United and others.

Ayala never really wanted to leave, so he signed a four-year contract to stay.

“I couldn’t have imagined it would have (got under my skin like it has) when I moved here,” said Ayala. “I had been at other clubs and I have felt love but never as much as I have felt love here.

“That’s one of the important things. It’s not only about the money and it is quite important to feel love. I feel loved here. You can feel it when you go to the games or in the town when they sing your name. They want your autograph. And with Steve Gibson I know he likes me and that is quite important too.”

The reference to Gibson was delivered by Ayala without any prompting, there had been no questions asked about the chairman until that stage. He was clearly a driving force behind agreeing new terms when he committed to a four-year deal last month.

“I think this club, with Mr Gibson around, any club can achieve a lot,” said Ayala. “He puts a lot of money into the club, and I think at the beginning our objective has to be to stay up. But if we stay up, maybe in two or three seasons then our focus can be to achieve something more.

“I remember when we lost in the play-off final in 2015 and I was quite down with the mistake against Norwich, I went to Steve Gibson and said ‘sorry’ as he put a lot of money into the club, only to miss out in the final.

“But he said ‘don't worry, you've been unbelievable’, so that meant I wanted to stay at this club and get promoted.

“It happened and now I want to help establish this club in the Premier League and then push on. What happened against Norwich wasn't going to affect what I did last season. I haven't played many finals so it was always going to be difficult, it was a different experience and atmosphere, but I knew I had to bounce back. It made me more motivated to do well and get in the Premier League.”

This year is Ayala’s big chance to prove he can handle the big stage. He has appeared at that level before, notably for Norwich, but nowhere near as often as wanted and when he was younger.

Having proven himself to be one of the best defenders outside the top-flight since his switch from Norwich three years ago, now he feels it is his time to shine at Premier League level.

Ayala said: “It’s not just me. We all want to prove we are a Premier League player. We are all eager to do well and to be here a lot of years.

“It’s good to have Calum Chambers come in for competition too. When you get in the Premier League you have to realise there is always going to be more and better players coming in, it was not a surprise.

“It is better because you have to prove yourself anyway. You have to make sure you don’t do anything bad because you want to stay in the team.

“It feels a long time ago when I was with Liverpool and Norwich. A lot of people think I should be in the Premier League but I've always thought you are where you deserve to be.

“I was in the Championship and had to get back up. Finally I did it, so that's why I was convinced to stay - I want to stay here for a long time.”

Ayala has been impressed by the arrivals of household Spanish names such as Victor Valdes and Alvaro Negredo this summer, but mixing it with the best is not something new to him.

He said: “It's brilliant when you've seen them play that many games on TV, in the Champions League and winning trophies. To have them now sitting right next to you is unbelievable, but we always knew getting into the Premier League means we would get better players.

“At Liverpool I played with Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez, but it's always good. You can see the difference - Negredo has a better touch, better finishing but it's what you dream of, playing against the best players.

“Our ambition is to stay up but personally I want to play as many games as possible and do well. Playing against the best players can only improve me, but always you have to think about the team. It's no good playing against the best and then next season being back in the Championship. Hopefully we'll be here for a few years.”