Mesut Özil says he’s happy with his contract at Arsenal and he plans to stay for this season and the next, after which it expires.

In January 2018, Mesut Özil signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Arsenal, making him the club’s highest earner. Things haven’t gone entirely to plan since then, thanks largely to his relationship with Unai Emery.

The situation is improving under Mikel Arteta though, and Özil still has 18 months on his deal. Speaking to beIN SPORTS this week, he confirmed he plans to see that contract out.

“I’m very pleased with my contract and I will continue here this season and next,” Özil said.

On the subject of what he’ll do after the Arsenal deal expires in 2021, he added: “I can’t tell you what the future will bring. I’m excited about the future, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Özil appears to be a key player under Arteta. He started all five of the new head coach’s first five games, though he did only complete 90 minutes in one of those matches.

Maybe that kind of game management is what the 31-year-old needs to get back to his best though. Before Unai Emery dropped him, Özil’s biggest problem seemed to be that he played every minute until he got injured.

The next few months are certainly worth keeping an eye on in Özil’s case.