Sanchez quells Arsenal contract concerns: I'm 'happy and comfortable'

Alexis Sanchez offered Arsenal fans temporary reprieve from the will-he-won't-he saga regarding extending his stay beyond the expiration of his contract in 2018.

"I definitely feel like an important player, and my teammates let me know every day," the forward said on Arsenal's YouTube channel, as reported by The Independent's Jack de Menezes. "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."

Sanchez has enjoyed his most prolific spell for the Gunners this season, initially thriving as a No. 9 to nab the majority of his 14 Premier League goals, and now aiding Olivier Giroud's purple patch of five strikes and two assists in his last five outings up top.

Mesut Ozil - whose own agreement expires in 2018 - also gave the Emirates Stadium faithful hope recently by declaring he was "ready" to ink a new deal, but wanted clarification on manager Arsene Wenger's future.

Despite being stationed some eight points adrift of table-topping Chelsea after 21 matches, a run of five competitive outings without defeat and talks of Sanchez, Ozil, and their other stars sticking around - Giroud, Laurent Koscielny, and Francis Coquelin all agreed to new terms last week - has Gunners supporters dreaming of a first league title since 2003-04.

"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 said.

If Sanchez and Ozil refuse fresh contracts, however, the dwindling duration remaining on their current pieces of paperwork would make their statuses precarious, driving down their asking prices for interested clubs or potentially seeing them leave for nothing in 2018.

Wenger, meanwhile, has hinted that he'll stay beyond the current season with talks set to begin in April. It would extend his stay in north London to over 21 years.