���˿���

Luke Williams has backed Liam Cullen to earn a new long-term contract after Swansea City triggered a one-year extension to the striker’s current deal.

Cullen, 25, was due to become a free agent this summer, but is now tied to Swansea until the summer of 2025.

Swansea and Cullen have held negotiations over a longer deal without reaching agreement - but Williams says the Wales international now has the chance to prove his worth.

“We have been talking with Culls and we always had the trigger option there. We went for that in the end,” said the Swansea head coach.

“It’s a commitment and a platform for him to go and show why he should be tied down for a longer time.”

Cullen, from Pembrokeshire, has scored seven goals in 47 appearances this season.

In all, the Swansea academy product has 20 goals in 117 senior appearances – 62 of which have been starts – for the Championship club.

Williams believes Cullen has the ability to improve his strike-rate next season.

“I am really happy with a lot of the things I am seeing from Culls. The commitment, the running he is doing for the team, the intelligence behind it as well – he knows exactly what he is doing,” he said.

“I know he can score goals but I want him to be even more ruthless than he is now because I believe in him and I really think he is such a valuable member of the squad.”

Cullen said after scoring in the south Wales derby win over Cardiff City in March that he hoped to commit to Swansea for a “few more years”.

Williams says Cullen, who joined the Swans when aged eight, is happy with his situation despite the failure to agree an extended deal.

“He has quality, he understands what I want, he has great spirit and he loves the club,” Williams added.

“I am pretty sure what he is now going to do is have a great season and he is going to secure himself a better contract.”