Arsene Wenger has explained why he decided to give Nacho Monreal a new deal at the club – because he is awesome!

Vastly underrated when he first rocked up in England, Nacho has taken Kieran Gibbs starting spot in the side and has no intention of giving it up any time soon.

Loved by fans because of his no-nonsense approach, the Spaniard has been linked with a move away over the past year but here at Cannon Towers we were convinced that the club would want to hang on to him for as long as possible and we’re glad to see that we were right with the announcement of his new deal.

“He is a very important player at the club because he can play left-back and centre back,” Wenger told Arsenal Player. “He has the consistency in his performances that is requested at the top level.

“Overall, his attitude has been absolutely fantastic on a daily basis since he arrived here. He’s 100 per cent committed and I think as well he has always improved since he has arrived and has shown that in many big games as well.

“He’s calm, focused and dedicated. He’s well-accepted and loved by his partners. He has the modest approach of a player who wants to give his best to the team. Everybody senses that and that’s why I think it’s important for the club to have that stability.

“Everyone in the Premier League would say that he has become a very strong player. Arsenal are gifted at the moment, I must say, with two top-class left backs. We have many young players. They need to be surrounded by experienced players, especially at the back.

“We now have experience at the back. Nacho is part of that – he’s a good example for the young players and we have a good bunch of young players. We have seen another one with Alex Iwobi the other day, who has shown talent. They need to see how you behave at that level.”

Nacho arrived at Arsenal three years ago this month for a fee reportedly worth £8.3m.

He’s been worth every single penny.