Nacho Monreal says he wants to stay at Arsenal for the next three years.
The Spain international signed a contract extension in January 2016 that will tie him to the club until the summer of 2019, with Arsenal inserting an option to extend the deal for a further year.
That would take the left-back through to his 34th birthday and, whilst Arsenal already appear to be planning for the future in that position with the imminent arrival of 23-year-old Schalke defender Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer, Monreal hopes to see out the remainder of his deal.
“I am very happy at Arsenal and I feel important because Wenger has shown me confidence,” Monreal told Spanish newspaper ABC.
“I have two years left to contract, an optional third, and the idea is to stay there.
“I’m aware that football can change but my head is in London. I’m playing and the idea is to carry on.”
After arriving from Malaga midway through the 2012-13 season Monreal took time to secure a regular spot in Arsene Wenger’s side but has overtaken Kieran Gibbs in the pecking order during recent years.
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Indeed Monreal has missed just three Premier League matches over the last two seasons.
The most recent of those saw Monreal endure the mid-season slump that afflicted many of his team-mates as Arsenal fell off the pace in the race for the Premier League title, and ultimately even a top four finish.
Monreal’s own form mirrored that of Arsenal’s though and by the end of the season he had proven his worth both as a full-back and in either the back three or wing-back roles in Wenger’s 3-4-2-1.
He admitted: “We had an irregular season, we didn’t complete the objective staying in the top four but we made up for it with the FA Cup victory and leave [the season] with good feelings.”
