Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is happy to have signed a contract extension committing his future to Inter Milan.

Speaking to InterTV, via FCInterNews, the Turkish international also gave his thoughts ahead of the upcoming season.

Earlier this month, Calhanoglu put pen to paper on a new contract with Inter.

The 29-year-old, whose previous deal had run out at the end of next June, has committed his future until the end of June 2027.

This was an important contract extension for Inter to get out of the way.

Former AC Milan midfielder Calhanoglu has become a pivotal player to this Nerazzurri team in every sense of the world.

Last season, the Turk made the move back from a box-to-box midfield role to a deep-lying position.

At first, this had been more or less an emergency repurposing of the ex-Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg man, to fill in during a couple of lengthy injuries to Marcelo Brozovic.

However, Calhanoglu proved not just an adequate solution in the role, but an excellent one.

So much did the 29-year-old shine in the regista position that it has even enabled Inter to sell Brozovic, once a player who seemed virtually impossible replace, this summer without feeling like they will struggle too much to cope without him.

Hakan Calhanoglu Opens Up About Signing New Inter Milan Contract

“I’m happy we’ve gotten back to work,” Calhanoglu said of returning to training. “And I’m also happy to have extended my contract.”

“I wanted to stay at Inter, where I’ve been happy since day one.”

“Coming back and seeing my teammates is always great,” Calhanoglu said. “I’ve missed them even though we’ve only been away for a few weeks.”

Of his improvements and positional changes, the 29-year-old said that “I’ve improved a lot thanks to the work of the coach and his staff.”

“I’ve also improved mentally because I want to win.”

“The guys have given me a lot of help right from day one, and if we all play with the right mentality, the results will come in the end.”

Calhanoglu noted that “Many players have left, and new ones have arrived to replace them.”

“But it’s great seeing new faces when we come back to training,” the Turkish international added. “It gives you even more ambition.”

As for goals for next season, Calhanoglu said that “Are goals are always the same.”

“We’re aiming for the second star,” he said, referring to win the Serie A title.

“We have to help our new teammates to integrate,” the former AC Milan midfielder added. “We need everyone to contribute their best.”