Carlos Vela has become the latest Arsenal player to commit his future to the club after it was confirmed he has put pen-to-paper on a new long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium.

Vela, 20, joined the Gunners in November 2005, before spending the next 18 months on loan in Spain with the likes of Celta Vigo, Salamanca and Osasuna.

The classy hitman has featured regularly in the Carling Cup as Arsene Wenger introduces him gradually into the first-team fold and memorably netted a superb hat-trick against Sheffield United last season.

He has become an integral part of the Mexico national team, winning 19 caps, and will feature for El Tri during next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.

"We're delighted that Carlos Vela has signed a new long-term contract with the club," Wenger told the club's official website. "Carlos is a fantastic talent and we have already seen glimpses of this during his performances.

"Let's remember, he is still only 20 years-old, so there is still a huge amount to come from this boy. We have invested a lot of time in Carlos, as we put him in Spain for two years to get some good experience.

"Now he's back with us, we're working hard with him every day and he is a very exciting player. We're looking forward to seeing Carlos score many goals in an Arsenal shirt for a long time to come."

Vela, who has made eight first-team appearances this season, was delighted at securing his long-term future in North London.

"I'm very happy to sign a new contract and I’m very excited to be spending more years with Arsenal Football Club," he enthused.

"I just want to work hard and help this great Club win trophies. I want to stay here for a long time and it's a great responsibility."

Vela joins Lukasz Fabianski, Kieran Gibbs, Alexandre Song, Denilson, Aaron Ramsey, Fran Merida, Jack Wilshere, and Nicklas Bendtner in inking a new deal with the Gunners since the season began.