Forster: Club's ambition convinced me to sign new contract.

Southampton announced this morning that Fraser Forster and James Ward-Prowse had signed new long term deals with the club.

Forster said that it was "unbelievable" to sign a new five year deal and that the club's ambition was key to the England international extending his stay at St. Mary's.

He told Southampton's official YouTube channel: "There’s real ambition around the place. It’s good to be a part of that. To commit and sign a new deal is unbelievable.

"Every player wants to keep moving forward in their career and for me especially, I'm very ambitious. At this club, there’s real ambition and desire to keep moving forward and improve year in, year out."

Last week it was Virgil van Dijk who made the headlines after the centre back signed a new six year contract after an impressive debut campaign. The goalkeeper believes that van Dijk's and Ward-Prowse's deals send out a strong message to other clubs in the summer.

"Virgil signing last week was huge and for Prowsey to sign as well – such a talented player with a bright future – it shows that the club really want to keep hold of their players.

"If we can do that and add a couple in the summer, we can be very excited about next season."

Forster spent the first half of the season recovering from a long term injury that he suffered last campaign. He returned from his layoff in fine form and has helped the Saints finish the season strongly with only champions Leicester City having picked up more points since the turn of the year. The 28-year-old said that the club's commitment to him during his injury was a key factor to signing the new deal.

"It’s been a real positive year for us and for me personally coming back from the injury. The way the club stood by me and supported me, it was a no brainer to commit my future to the club.

"The medical team have done a fantastic job. I cant thank them enough for what they’ve done for me. Even though I was out until January, the way we worked when I was injured probably got me in the best shape of my life."

The Saints can break the club's point tally record if they avoid defeat against Crystal Palace on Sunday. A win could also see them qualify for the Europa League for the second successive season. Forster is excited about the possibility of playing in Europe again after experiencing the Champions League with Celtic.

"We've got the opportunity on Sunday to get the most number of points that we've ever got in the Premier League. If we can do that, that’s another achievement.

"European football is very special. I don’t think people realise how special those competitions are until they’re in them. If we can secure European football for next season that'll be brilliant and it would be fantastic to have a real go at it next year."

You can follow Saints' last game of the season on St. Mary's Musings' Twitter page: @StMarysMusings on Sunday.