Leicester City Sign Goalkeeper Dai Cornell on One-Year Deal
Leicester City have moved to plug their goalkeeping gap by signing experienced stopper Dai Cornell on a one-year deal.
The 35-year-old Welshman arrives as a free agent after turning down a new contract at Preston North End in the summer, and drops into League One to join a Leicester side pushing for an immediate return to the Championship.
Cover for cruel Stolarczyk blow
The move comes in response to the season-ending knee injury suffered by Jakub Stolarczyk in early September, a setback that left Russell Martin short of senior options behind first-choice keeper Alex McCarthy.
Cornell’s arrival adds depth, but Leicester see more than just a back-up.
Martin made it clear the veteran’s influence will stretch beyond the white lines.
“He understands the role he is going to fulfil here, but he also backs himself to show what a good goalkeeper he is,” the Foxes boss told BBC Radio Leicester. “But first and foremost, he is a brilliant character and really adds to the character, voice and experience in this squad.”
Cornell, for his part, has no illusions about the task in front of him and has stressed he is ready “to help in any way” he can.
A career built on experience
Leicester become the 11th club of Cornell’s senior career, which began at Swansea City and has taken in a long list of stops across Britain.
His journey includes spells at St Mirren in Scotland and English sides Portsmouth, Oldham, Northampton and Peterborough, as well as Ipswich Town and Preston. That breadth of experience is exactly what Martin wants in a dressing room trying to haul itself back up at the first attempt.
So far this season, former Southampton keeper and one-cap England international Alex McCarthy has been Leicester’s mainstay between the posts, with Argentine Franco Ravizzoli – a summer signing from Blackpool – acting as understudy since Stolarczyk was ruled out.
Cornell now joins that goalkeeping group, adding another seasoned voice to a promotion chase that will test Leicester’s nerve as much as their talent.
