. . . young keeper signs new three-year deal
Swansea City have secured the future of young goalkeeper David Cornell for the next three years.
The 21-year-old, who was in the final year of his contract, today put pen to paper on a new deal at the Liberty.
Cornell, identified as a bright talent at the club, gained valuable experience on loan at League Two club Hereford United last season.
Despite experiencing relegation with the Bulls, Cornell clocked up 28 appearances for Hereford which started with a debut at Aston Villa in the League Cup.
And Cornell, who hails from Waunarlwydd, is looking forward to continuing his development in SA1.
“I’m very happy to have signed a new contract,” said Cornell, who made his sole Swans appearance in the League Cup clash with Scunthorpe in the 2009-10 season.
“It gives me stability as I have the next three years to continue progressing here.
“It’s also reassuring knowing that the club see something in me and believe that I can grow as a goalkeeper.
“But the hard work starts now for me. I want to become a bigger part of the manager’s plans and I have to keep improving every day in order to do that.”
Cornell felt his spell at Hereford last term played a big part in earning his new deal.
The experience of playing in a pressure environment along with gaining valuable game-time paid off for the Wales Under-21s keeper.
But he feels he will benefit greatly by working closely with Michel Vorm and Gerhard Tremmel along with goalkeeping coach Adrian Tucker on a daily basis at the club’s Llandarcy training base.
“I gained a lot of experience at Hereford last season,” he added. “It was very disappointing to be relegated, but on a personal note I took a lot from it.
“League Two is a tough, physical league and I had my few share of hard knocks and big challenges.
“But that’s all part of the development of a keeper – experiencing all aspects of the game.
“I don’t know if I’ll be going out on loan somewhere this season – it is an option – but I am enjoying training every day here.
“Not only do I listen to the advice from Tucks, Michel and Gerhard, I also watch them in training very closely. I've learned a lot from doing that."
Cornell was first offered professional terms by the club at the end of the 2008/09 campaign.
Prior to his temporary stint at Hereford, Cornell was loaned out to Welsh Premier League club Port Talbot.
At international level, he has been capped by Wales at U17, U19 and U21 levels.