Steve Cooper | Korey Smith an excellent fit for Swansea City

Steve Cooper believes new signing Korey Smith will prove to be an ideal fit for Swansea City after signing a two-year contract at the Liberty Stadium.

The 29-year-old midfielder joins as a free agent, having left Bristol City on the back of six successful years at Ashton Gate.

Smith has over 170 Championship appearances to his name, while also being part of three successful promotion campaigns across his time with the Robins and Norwich City.

He was entrusted with the captaincy at Bristol City, and praised for his leadership qualities.

And Cooper believes Smith’s work ethic, allied to his experience and quality on the ball will make him an excellent addition after the Swans beat off competition for his signature.

“First and foremost, Korey is a really good player and fits the profile of player we think can add value to the team and the squad,” said the Swans boss.

“But, alongside that, he does bring experience; Championship experience, experience of promotions, and I think that is important.

“We know we have a lot of young players, but we know we need the right experience in the right areas too, and he covers that well for us.

“He is good with and without the ball, and he fits our style of play as well.

“He has a personality where he wants to go and be on the ball, or he works hard to win it back if he hasn’t got it.

“That is exactly what we want and what the league requires of you.”

And Cooper was also delighted with how Smith brought into the future plans at Swansea, choosing to kick off a new chapter in his career at the Liberty Stadium.

“We are pleased to get him knowing he could have gone to other clubs, he was a sought-after player,” added Cooper.

“But from the conversations we had he really brought into what we are doing and wanted to be a part of it.

“When we speak to players we are always honest with them, and make clear we have a hard-working culture and we want to play a certain way.

“There’s a lot of potential in the squad and we want to get better.

“We were clear about that to Korey and fortunately he has brought into it and put us ahead of a few others when it comes to his next challenge.”