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Liam Cullen reveals Russell Martin's role in Leicester City transfer

· Josh Holland · 2026-08-06 · nguồn gốc

Leicester City attacker Liam Cullen has revealed that Russell Martin played a "big part" in his permanent move to the King Power Stadium. The Wales international joined the Foxes from Swansea City last week as Russell Martin continued to strengthen his attacking options. Cullen became the fourth signing of the summer after Conor Chaplin, Alex McCarthy and Christian McFarlane ahead of the League One campaign. Brighton winger Tommy Watson joined him on loan the following day. The move reunites the forward with Martin after the pair worked together at Swansea for two seasons. Cullen is the second player to join Martin at Leicester after former Southampton goalkeeper McCarthy also made the move to LE2. "I've said it quite a few times to be fair, the size of the club. It's a massive club," he told LeicestershireLive during a sit-down interview at the club's training ground. "The project they're trying to build here now, the direction they're looking to go in from this year onwards. FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! All the latest Leicester City news on LeicestershireLive’s Leicester City Facebook page ! Get LeicestershireLIVE Premium now for just £1 HERE . You can also join our WhatsApp Community by clicking HERE "I worked with the manager for a couple of years, really enjoyed them when he was at Swansea and I loved the style of play. And the fanbase is huge as well. So it's just a massive club all around and they're looking to be really ambitious over the next few years, which is something that really attracted me as well. "Everything was positive really. I didn't really see a negative side to joining the club." City boss Martin has been full of praise of Cullen since landing the versatile forward. The attacker is equally complimentary of his new manager, insisting being familiar with the 40-year-old's ideas will help him adjust to the new environment. "He played a big part in it," the City star added. "Like I said, I'm familiar with the type of person he is and the type of coach he is. We got along really well when he was at Swansea and we still do. Hopefully we can have a really good year and a really good time here as well. "He's obviously a manager that is very possession-based. He likes to dominate the ball, but in the right way in the opposition's half - which is something I like to do. "He has a style where you don't see a lot of balls going into the striker's chest, he likes players to arrive into positions and to move into positions while the ball's on the move and work your way up the pitch like that. I think that suits me really well. "There's a lot on the ball, but there's obviously a lot off the ball as well. You need to be high energy. You need to run, he says it a lot in his interviews, how much he demands you running. That's something I feel is a strength in my game, is the press and counter press inside, the reactions to losing the ball and winning the ball high up the pitch - he loves you to do that." One of the biggest talking points since Cullen arrived has been where Martin sees him fitting into his side. Fortunately, he's confident in playing in various roles. "I'm pretty comfortable with both [No.9 and No.10] to be honest," he explained. "I've played as both pretty much my whole career, especially under this manager. I played in a few positions under him so I feel like I know what he needs in those positions. "I've still got some stuff to improve on, like everybody has. It helps me coming in here knowing the way he wants you to play and the way he likes his team to look because it doesn't take as long to get up to speed. It was nice to get out on the pitch with the boys and start to build those connections." It isn't just Martin that Cullen knows well. In 2021, he played alongside Leicester's assistant manager Conor Hourihane at Swansea. "So Conor came on loan in January 2021 and we lost the play-off final last year under Steve Cooper," he said when asked about Hourihane. "I actually got injured on Conor's debut in the cup, but I managed to get back for the end of the season. Unfortunately we lost in the play-off final, but obviously a top player, top career and he's a really good guy as well. So another familiar face for me to come to."