Conor Hourihane | This challenge excites me, I want to be part of something

Conor Hourihane hopes he can be part of something special at Swansea City having sealed his loan move from Aston Villa, subject to international clearance.

The 29-year-old will spend the rest of the 2020-21 season at the Liberty Stadium, and adds to Steve Cooper’s midfield options following the recalls of Morgan Gibbs-White and Kasey Palmer.

Hourihane is a proven top-level performer, and has played a key role in two promotions having helped Barnsley and Aston Villa go up via the play-offs.

He has made 150 appearances for the Villans, scoring 29 goals, including one at the Liberty in a 1-0 win on Boxing Day 2018.

And the Republic of Ireland international, known for his energy and threat from set-pieces, has made clear he wants to make a big impact with the Swans challenging near the top of the Championship table.

“I am delighted to be here. It is great to get it done early in the window, I am really excited and I want to get stuck into it,” said Hourihane.

“The gaffer has been great with me when we have spoken, he made it clear he wanted me here and I have heard so many good things about the style of play and what it’s like to live in the city.

“It just ticked all the boxes and it made the decision quite easy.

“I am desperate to play, I could have sat around at Villa for the rest of the season, but I want to play. I hope I can bring some experience as I have had a couple of promotions in my career.

“But I want to add quality too, in terms of goals and assists my numbers have been pretty good in seasons where I have played, so I hope I can bring that here.

“The lads have put themselves in a great position, it’s going to be a fantastic run-in and I hope I can help them along over the second half of the season and achieve what we all want to achieve.

“I am excited by the challenge, and I want to come down here and achieve.

“I wanted to get out there and have another challenge, I want to be part of something. I want to cement the side high up the table and try and provide a bit extra over the rest of the season.”

Hourihane also revealed how a former Swan, now on the books at Villa, had left him with only positive impressions of his former club, and left him in no doubt as to what was the right move for him despite interest from elsewhere.

“Yeah, Neil Taylor is a good friend of mine, we actually signed for Aston Villa during the same January window four years ago,” added Hourihane.

“We have been good friends ever since, we talk all the time and he has been telling me about Swansea City, and hearing good things from him helped me to come down.”