Walsall boss Mat Sadler signs new long-term deal

Sadler, who has been nominated for December's League Two manager of the month award, has helped propel Walsall into a 10-point lead at the league summit. 

His name has recently been 'linked' to the likes of Millwall and Northampton Town but the former defender has pledged his loyalty to Walsall by penning fresh terms. 

He said: "It was an easy decision to get a new deal sorted. I want to continue the hard work that we're putting in and we should be proud at this football club of the owners we have who want to continue to build and grow for the future. 

"It's a very stable football club, which can't be said about a lot in this country. My belief is that success comes with that stable footing and that's where we want to grow and build from and this is just a continuation of that." 

Under Sadler, Walsall have made their best start to a league campaign since lifting the Division Four title in 1960 after collecting 52 points at the midway point of the season. 

Sadler has also guided them into the EFL Trophy round of 16 and reached the third round of the EFL Cup for the first time since 2015 earlier in the campaign. 

Walsall finished 11th at the end of his debut campaign, their highest finish since suffering relegation into the fourth-tier in 2019. 

Co-chairman Ben Boycott added: "Mat is an outstanding professional and an excellent, thoughtful coach. 

"Most importantly, he is an outstanding person of high integrity, who clearly demonstrates every day the values and character that we want to define the culture at the football club."