Arsenal defender Santos wants permanent Gremio deal

Rio de Janeiro, March 29 (IANS)

Andre Santos (R) of Gremio struggles for the ball with Luis Angelo Peña (L) of Caracas FC during a match between Gremio and Caracas FC as part of Copa Bridgestone Libertadores 2013 at Arena Stadium on March 04, 2013 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. (Photo by Edu Andrade/LatinContent/Getty Images)

Arsenal defender Andre Santos says he wants to turn his loan spell at Gremio into a permanent move.

The 30-year-old has been in impressive form since joining the Brazilian top-flight football outfit last month on a 12-month deal, reports Xinhua.

Santos initially expressed a desire to return to the London club but now appears to have changed his mind.

“I’ll do my best to win titles at Gremio. I have won titles at every club I have played for,” he said. “The staff, board and the players have all made me feel very welcome. There is no doubt that I want to stay.”

Santos has made just 23 first-team appearances for the Gunners since his 2011 move from Turkey’s Fenerbahce. He has also won 22 caps for Brazil, the last coming during the 2011 Copa America tournament in Argentina.