CROWD favourite Julio Arca is ready to stay at Sunderland next season - if the club's ambitions match his.

The Argentinian's current Stadium of Light contract has one more year to run and Black Cats boss Mick McCarthy has confirmed he will be holding talks with the 23-year-old at the end of the season.

Arca's ability to play in either defence or midfield has proved invaluable this term, and McCarthy has wasted no time in recalling him to the squad to face Derby today following his recovery from a knee injury.

The South American has been one of the Black Cats' most consistent performers since last season's relegation from the top-flight, but his impressive displays have alerted a number of Premiership and First Division clubs to his possible availability.

Arca has always stressed that he is keen to extend his stay on Wearside, but much could depend on how successfully Sunderland finish the season.

Promotion, or European competition, would be an attractive proposition and would swell the Stadium of Light coffers to allow for an improved deal.

But failure on both scores could make it difficult for the ambitious Arca to turn down the offers that would be likely to come his way.

"In my heart I would like to stay here in the summer," he said. "I would like to think that I was staying here to help Sunderland play in the Premier League and Europe.

"But in football you never know what's going to happen.

"It would be great if we could win promotion and play in Europe next season - but that's not the only thing I'm going to be thinking about.

"I'm really enjoying being at this club and I'm really enjoying my football at the moment. I'm just going to have to sit down at the end of the season and see what the club are able to offer me. Then I'll have to decide if it's going to be best for me to be here or not."

Arca, who moved from his homeland in July 2000, has defied the doubters who predicted he would struggle amidst the hurly-burly of life in the First Division.

He has proved more than a match for some of the league's most powerful strikers, while goals such as the one he scored at Walsall last month prove he has sacrificed none of his natural flair and ability.

Division One might be a more physical league than the Premiership, but Arca remains convinced that footballing ability is still the primary key to success.

"The First Division is different to the Premier League," said Arca. "But it's still a tough division.

"It's not easy to play in Division One - every game is difficult and you can never really predict who's going to win and who's going to lose.

"But I think the teams that can play football are the teams challenging at the top of the division. That seems to be what's making the difference.

"We like to pass the ball and play football and so do Norwich and West Brom. I don't think that's a coincidence.

"The table proves that everyone is really close to each other, but the best teams seem to be coming out on top.

"Personally, it's been a good season for me. The manager has given me the opportunity to play at left-back and that's what I consider to be my natural position.

"It's been good because we've been fighting for promotion and now we're in the semi-final of the FA Cup with a chance to play in Europe next season.

"We've proved how good we are because I think there were a lot of people expecting us to struggle this season."

Arca looked set for a lengthy lay-off after injuring his knee in Sunderland's FA Cup quarter-final win over Sheffield United.

But, with next weekend's semi-final clash with Millwall looming large, his speedy recovery couldn't have been better timed.

"My target was to get fit for the semi-final," admitted Arca. "It's going to be a massive game for us and everybody would like to be involved.

"But I know I can't just walk straight back into the team. They've won the last two games so I have to wait for my chance to come around again. I'll just have to see if I'm involved in the game against Derby or in the semi-final next week."

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