Valencia star hints at contract extension after injury hell

Valencia captain Jose Gaya is ready to commit his future to the club following his return to full fitness.

Gaya was forced to miss Spain’s UEFA Euro 2024 title win over the summer after undergoing hamstring surgery in May.

The experienced defender was forced to go under the knife following an injury in the final weeks of the 2023/24 season.

The road to recovery has been hard, with team preseason missed due to his own rehabilitation, before a full return in November.

Former boss Ruben Baraja looked to ease him back into match action at the end of 2024 and he is in line to play a key role in Carlos Corberan’s survival push.

Corberan picked up a first league win as Valencia manager last weekend, to drag his team off the foot of the La Liga table, as a key step forward.

Gaya’s experience will be crucial in the coming months, with the 29-year-old moving on to 360 club appearances, as part of an unbroken stint at his boyhood club.

Despite the off-field issues, Gaya has remained loyal to Los Che, and with his contract expiring in 2027 – he faces a call of the final stages of his career.

Ahead of this weekend’s La Liga trip to Barcelona, Gaya hinted at his readiness to pen a new deal at the Estadio Mestalla, and potentially break a club record in future.

“It’s been a very tough time, the toughest of my career. I was out for a long time, the team’s situation is very difficult, and I’m now facing the most important challenge of my career,” as per reports from Relevo.

“I’m not thinking about leaving, right now I’m 100% focused on improving and saving the situation, that’s the reality.

“I’m not thinking about anything other than that, I’ve always said Valencia is my home, I’ve been here since I was 11, I’ve had good times and bad, I hope I can have good times here again.”

Gaya is now up to eighth in the club’s all-time appearance list and an extension could him break the record in years to come.