Gilberto wants to stay at Arsenal

Arsenal’s veteran midfielder Gilberto wants to stay with the North London club beyond the end of the current season.

The 31-year-old’s future at Emirates Stadium has been somewhat uncertain after his bit-part inclusion this campaign, but Mathieu Flamini’s imminent departure for Milan appears to have opened the door for the Brazilian.

Now the international says he would like to remain at the club after he was linked with a move away earlier in the season, but admits his long-term prospects rest in the hands of Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

“I want to stay at the club,” Gilberto said in The Daily Star. “I enjoy being at Arsenal – the people, the atmosphere, the football, everything about it here.

“I don’t know if the club have received any offers and the situation could change if the club gets one.

“Then we will speak about it and sort out what is best for both of us.

“I plan to go on holiday back to Brazil to think things over and see what happens.

“But at the moment I plan to return to the club after my holiday because I do not know what the club are thinking.

“I cannot say whether I will be here or not next season.

“Managers make plans, but then things happen at the end of the season that they didn’t expect to happen.”