George Dobson signs Walsall contract extension
George Dobson has put pen to paper on a contract extension that will keep him at Walsall until the summer of 2021.
The midfielder, who celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday, joined the Saddlers from Sparta Rotterdam in January on a deal that ran until 2020.
But he has now agreed to extend his stay by a further year after a string of impressive displays for Dean Keates side.
Dobson, who will be part of the Walsall team that takes on Fleetwood tomorrow, first joined the Saddlers on loan from West Ham at the beginning of the 2016/17 season.
But he then had a brief stint in Holland before returning to the Banks's Stadium this year. And he admitted he is delighted to commit his long-term future to the club.
“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.”
With Adam Chambers and Joe Edwards injured, Dobson was named captain by Keates back in August.
And the boss said the midfielder deserves both his new contract and the armband.
"We are delighted George has committed his long-term future to the club," the boss continued.
“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.”
Meanwhile, the Express & Star understands there is no truth in reports defender Luke Leahy has turned down a new contract with the club.
