Dean Cox has ended speculation about his future by insisting he is not going anywhere and is determined to help take Leyton Orient back to League One.

The O’s winger, who has two years remaining on his contract, considered leaving the club in January during a season which ended with the heartbreak of relegation. But despite receiving several offers to move on, Cox has reaffirmed his commitment to Orient and wants to repay the support of their fans.

Cox said: “I’m not looking to go anywhere. I have two years left on my contract and I am coming back this summer raring to go. A lot of people were talking on Twitter [about me] and asking questions so I answered them. But I’m not going anywhere because I’m happy where I am.”

He added: “We want to get promoted. I think it’s realistic with the squad we’ve got so we should be there or thereabouts.”

When asked if the turmoil at the club last season, which included having four different managers, encouraged him to consider leaving, he said: “It made me question my future in January for the first time at the club. I thought maybe it was time to move on but I turned down a Championship and League One club.

“I have been here a long time and it was hard one but I decided to stay put because I enjoy it here. It’s my sixth season here and in the end it was my heart that kept me here.”

Cox has been a popular figure at the club since joining in 2010 and the former Brighton & Hove Albion attacker was particularly grateful for the fans’ support following the disappointment of last season.

“I think they have been fantastic since we have been relegated and for me personally since I’ve been at the club,” he said. “They could have quite easily slated us after last season but they’ve stuck with us and it’s important we get off to a good pre-season and start to the league.”

The 27-year-old is the first to admit his form did not live up to expectations last season, after scoring 17 times and producing 15 assists during a superb 2013/14 campaign which so nearly resulted in promotion to the Championship. The lack of continuity under different managers did not help him and the midfielder was affected by the exit of Russell Slade, who brought him to Brisbane Road five years ago, with the pair sharing a strong relationship.

“It is a season where I’ve learnt a lot,” Cox said. “It was mentally tough to keep going. Things we were seeing at the training ground on a matchday were tough to take. We were looking to go one better than the previous season but it was completely the other end of the spectrum.

“I wasn’t good enough. I didn’t score enough or create enough so I didn’t do my job. I found it harder with the different managers because I’m someone that likes stability and knows what is going on.

“Everyone knows I try my best but sometimes it isn’t going to work because we’re all humans. I’m looking to come back and hit the ground running because I pride myself on my assists.”

Relegation to League Two was a bitter blow for everyone at the club but Cox believes the board’s decision to go with domestic experience in Ian Hendon is a step in the right direction after the ill-fated appointment of Italian Fabio Liverani.

Cox said: “It was really tough to take for all of the lads and the fans. It wasn’t what any of us wanted. The board have realised they made a mistake with appointing the amount of managers we did which made us look a bit silly. But now it’s a clean slate with a new manager who wants to make an impact and has a lot of enthusiasm.”

It has been a memorable summer for Cox off the pitch this summer after getting married and the O’s wideman is eager to impress after an encouraging meeting with Hendon last month.

Cox said: “My concern was the budget might be lowered and they would look to offload me. But as soon as I met the manager, he told me he wanted me to be an integral part of the team. He is very enthusiastic and I’m really looking forward to working under him.

“It will be nice for the gaffer to have time to rebuild the squad. When you stabilise and start to win games then the confidence increases as you saw a couple of years ago. We took 24,000 fans to Wembley so although it’s a small knit club this is a sleeping giant. There is no reason why we can’t do that again.”

Hendon has already started the process of rebuilding the squad after a spate of departures and Cox thinks the club need to bring in some more experience after losing the likes of Kevin Lisbie.

“This will test the gaffer because there have been a lot of decisions taken on players already who have already gone,” he commented. “I definitely would have kept King Kevin Lisbie for his experience and his know how. I would have also kept Elliot Omozusi because he is another that would have done a good job for us.

“I think we need a bit more experience in there. There is a lot of rebuilding to do and we need some old heads so I’m sure it will be a busy time of recruitment for the gaffer.”