Walsall captain George Dobson has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2021.
The young midfielder, who celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday, has been a key player for the Saddlers since rejoining the club from Sparta Rotterdam in January 2017.
“I am delighted to get it over the line,” said Dobson.
“Coming back in January and kicking on as well as I have done is something I am delighted about.
“I was 21 yesterday so it was really nice to get this deal done today. It was a late birthday present and something I really wanted to get done.
"I can only thank the gaffer and the club for putting their faith in me and giving me this extended contract. I am going to continue to try and repay that faith as much as I can.
“We’ve had a bit of a sticky patch in the league but we had a great result against Coventry in the cup last weekend and hopefully we can build on it.
“I scored my first goal against Fleetwood so hopefully I can get another one tomorrow.”
Manager Dean Keates added: “We are delighted George has committed his long-term future to the club.
“He was outstanding when I came in towards the end of last season and has kicked on again this campaign. He is a natural leader, a really dedicated professional and an integral part of the squad.
“He thoroughly deserves the responsibility of being captain and we are pleased to have him here for at least another three years.”
Born in Harold Wood, Dobson joined Arsenal as a youth player and captained their Under-18s.
He signed for his boyhood club West Ham in July 2015 and helped the Hammers win the 2016 Under-21 Premier League Cup, beating Hull on penalties in the final.
Dobson spent the entire 2016/17 season on loan with the Saddlers, scoring once in 26 appearances in all competitions.
He joined Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam for an undisclosed fee in July 2017 and featured on five occasions in the Eredivisie before returning to the Banks's.
Dobson emerged as one of Walsall's best performers in the second half of the 2017/18 season, starting 19 matches and scoring the goal that effectively secured our survival against Northampton.
He has continued that impressive form into the current campaign, appearing in all 17 league fixtures.