Leicester City Sign Dai Cornell to Strengthen Goalkeeping

Leicester City have moved to plug their goalkeeping gap by signing experienced Welsh stopper Dai Cornell on a one-year deal.

The 35-year-old arrives as a free agent after leaving Preston North End in the summer, despite being offered fresh terms by the Championship club. He now drops into League One with the Foxes, who are pushing for an immediate return to the second tier.

The need was urgent. Jakub Stolarczyk’s season-ending knee injury in early September left Russell Martin short of depth behind first-choice keeper Alex McCarthy. Leicester have turned to Cornell’s know-how to steady the department and strengthen the dressing room at the same time.

“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. “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 quietly built a seasoned CV. Leicester become the 11th club of a journey that has taken him through the EFL and beyond, with spells at St Mirren in Scotland and the likes of Portsmouth, Oldham, Northampton and Peterborough, as well as Ipswich Town and Preston.

He arrives ready to slot in wherever he is needed.

Cornell said he is keen to “help in any way” he can at the Foxes, whether that means pushing McCarthy on the training ground, mentoring younger keepers or stepping in when called upon.

McCarthy, the former Southampton goalkeeper and once-capped England international, has been Leicester’s mainstay between the posts so far this season. Argentine Franco Ravizzoli, signed from Blackpool in the summer, has been on the bench since Stolarczyk’s injury.

Now there is another seasoned voice in that goalkeeping union, and in a promotion race that often comes down to fine margins, Leicester are betting that experience and character could be worth as much as any save.