Liam Cullen has said an emotional goodbye to Swansea City, as his move to Leicester City was confirmed after 19 years at his boyhood club.
The Kilgetty-born forward, 27, joins the Foxes for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal, subject to EFL and international approval, days after news broke of the proposed reunion with Russell Martin.
“After 19 incredible years, it’s time for me to say goodbye to Swansea City,” Cullen wrote on Instagram.
The forward said pulling on the shirt had been “the pride of my life”, from joining the academy at the age of eight to making his debut in 2018 and passing 200 appearances.
“Swansea has been my home for nearly two decades,” he said. “I have grown up here, and made memories and friends for life at this football club.”
Cullen leaves with 207 appearances and 37 goals for the Swans, having made his senior debut against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup in August 2018. He has won 15 Wales caps, scoring twice.
The club’s own farewell filled in the journey: a Kilgetty boy who watched the Swans at the Vetch before being signed up, a debut for the under-18s at just 13, and a run of 17 goals in 21 games for the under-23s that forced the first team’s door.
His first senior goal came on the final day of the 2019-20 season, the finish against Reading that helped force the Swans into the play-off places. His last was the 40-yard strike in the win over Stoke City in March.
Three of his 37 came in south Wales derbies, including the famous 3-2 win at Cardiff City Stadium in 2023.
His farewell thanked everyone at the club, from the manager and coaches to “the medical staff, chefs, groundsmen, cleaners and, of course, the kitmen”.
To his teammates past and present, he said it had been “an honour to share a dressing room with such good people”.
The message was warmest for the supporters. “Your support through the highs and lows are what makes this football club so unique, it has meant everything to me,” he said.
“Wearing our shirt every week has been an absolute privilege I never took for granted. I’ll always be grateful to you for the support you have shown me from my first game to my last.”
Cullen said his connection to the club would outlast his playing days. “Although my time has come to an end as a player, I will always be a massive fan of Swansea City,” he said, adding he would always be proud to have represented “this incredible football club”.
He signed off: “Once a Jack, Always a Jack.”
The club said Cullen had represented it “with tremendous pride, passion and distinction on and off the pitch”, and that “as one of our own” he would always receive a warm welcome at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Its sign-off matched his: “Once a Jack, always a Jack. Diolch Culls.”
At Leicester, Cullen links up again with Martin, his former Swans head coach, in a side chasing an immediate return to the Championship after relegation to League One.
“I’m buzzing to be here and I can’t wait to get started,” he told the Foxes’ website. “When this opportunity came about and with the size of the club and the project they’re getting started with now, I thought it was the perfect fit for me.”
The departure continues a summer of change in SA1, days after academy full-back Sam Parker joined Wycombe Wanderers on loan for his own season in League One.
The Swans open their Championship campaign next month; for Cullen, a promotion push with old friends awaits.
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