Leicester City Sign Veteran Goalkeeper Dai Cornell
Leicester City have moved to plug a sudden gap in goal by bringing in experienced goalkeeper Dai Cornell on a one-year deal.
The 35-year-old Welshman arrives as a free agent, dropping into League One after turning down a new contract at Championship side Preston North End in the summer. His signing comes in direct response to the season-ending knee injury suffered by Jakub Stolarczyk in early September, a setback that left the Foxes short of depth behind first-choice Alex McCarthy.
Russell Martin wanted more than a stopgap. He believes he has found a voice for the dressing room as much as a pair of hands for the penalty area.
"He understands the role he is going to fulfil here, but he also backs himself to show what a good goalkeeper he is," the Leicester boss told BBC Radio Leicester, underlining that Cornell’s influence will stretch beyond the white lines. "But first and foremost, he is a brilliant character and really adds to the character, voice and experience in this squad."
Cornell, who began his career at Swansea City, has built a journeyman résumé across the English and Scottish game. Leicester become the 11th club on his CV, following spells with the likes of Ipswich Town, Preston, St Mirren, Portsmouth, Oldham, Northampton and Peterborough. It is the kind of path that hardens a goalkeeper, and Martin clearly sees value in that mileage for a squad chasing an immediate return to the Championship.
Cornell has made it clear he is ready to slot in wherever required, stressing he is keen to “help in any way” he can at the club. That could mean pushing from the training pitch as much as from the six-yard box.
McCarthy, the former Southampton goalkeeper and once-capped England international, has been Leicester’s mainstay between the posts so far this season. Behind him, Argentine keeper Franco Ravizzoli, a summer signing from Blackpool, has taken the bench role since Stolarczyk was ruled out.
Now Cornell joins that mix, adding another layer of experience to a promotion-chasing squad that suddenly looks far more secure in its most unforgiving position.
