Arsenal handed contract boost as Alexis Sanchez confirms he is 'really happy and comfortable at the club'
Sanchez's future, along with Mesut Özil's, has been the biggest talking point at Arsenal all season but the striker has dropped the latest hint that he will sign a new deal with the club
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Your support makes all the difference.Alexis Sanchez has echoed Mesut Özil recent comments about his Arsenal future to deliver a positive update in the contract negotiations with the club in the latest hint that he will sign a new deal.
After Özil admitted he was “very comfortable” with life in London earlier in the month, Sanchez has followed suit, and he has given the impression of a player that is not about to force a move away from the club despite the growing concerns over his contract situation.
“I definitely feel like an important player, and my team-mates let me know every day,” Sanchez said on Arsenal's YouTube channel. “I try to prove that I am an important player every day and game after game.
“I believe we have the players and the quality to win many things. I feel really happy and comfortable at the club. I want to give the fans a new title.
“We always get our fans' support in the thick and thin, which is great. We must win the Premier League or Champions League for them.”
Sanchez, like Özil, is out of contract at the end of the 2017/18 season, and fears are growing at Arsenal that they could find themselves vulnerable to the players demands if the reach this summer with no extensions in place. The result would be Arsenal’s two key players heading into the final year of their contracts, and they would be able to increase their demands in the knowledge that the club would risk losing them for free the following season if they fail to meet their demands – potentially costing Arsenal in excess of £100m in transfer fees.
But with both players reaffirming their happiness in the capital, the expectation is that both will sign new contracts – providing Arsene Wenger’s side remain competitive on the pitch. Goalkeeper Petr Cech admitted after the weekend’s 4-0 victory over Swansea that being successful in the hunt for silverware will be the ultimate factor behind Özil’s and Sanchez’s decision to stay, while Wenger has also downplayed his own future and the effect it has on the players’ decisions.
Wenger is out of contract this season, but after more than 20 years with the Gunners, he has hinted that talks over a new contract will begin in April with an extension expected to be sealed at the end of the season providing that all parties are happy with the deal following the second half of the season.
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