(Picture: Action Images via Reuters)
Reading's Chris Gunter has put pen-to-paper on a new deal that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2020.
The 27-year-old full-back starred as the Royals came within a whisker of promotion last season, before eventually falling at the final hurdle in the play-off final, making 58 appearances in all competitions.
His brilliant form had seen Gunter linked with a move away from Berkshire, with Middlesbrough reportedly keen on his services, but the former Cardiff and Nottingham Forest defender is overjoyed to have extended his stay with Jaap Stam's side.
Speaking to Reading's club website, the Welsh international said: “I was coming into the last 12 months of my deal, so its' nice to get it done early.
“As a player, you never want to be going into a season wondering what is going to happen at the end of it. So a big thanks to the manager, Brian and the owners…I'm delighted.”
Gunter's new deal comes less than 24 hours after boss Stam also agreed a contract extension, and is great news for the club as they attempt to go one-step further next season and win promotion to the top-flight.
Despite seeing Danny Williams join Huddersfield, the core group of players that got Reading so close to the Premier League will be with them again during the upcoming season, and Gunter said: “If we can match or better what we did last season, there's no reason why we can't have another successful season.
“We know it's going to be tough, we can't think that because we finished third in the league and we got to the Final that now we're better than most teams in this division. The attitude has to be exactly the same.
“We'll be treated and seen differently by other teams in the league which will make life harder, but it's important to keep the aims realistic. And as long as we give everything can, we now know how far that can take us.”
