Belgian midfielder pens new deal...
Walsall FC are delighted to announce that Belgian midfielder Florent Cuvelier has signed a one-year contract extension with the club.The 24-year-old returned to the Banks’s Stadium for a third spell last summer and has made 20 appearances for the Saddlers in all competitions this season.
“I feel very happy to be staying for another year at this football club,” said Cuvelier. “I love the place and I feel really comfortable here.
“The gaffer has looked after me physically, which is one of the reasons I was able to go and get a good run of games.
“It’s been a good season for us. It was a little bit difficult at times in the beginning but you can see what the team is like now.
"With a brand new team, it takes time for things to come together. We’ve beaten some big teams this season and I feel we’re moving in the right direction.
“I want to come back as soon as I can this season and try to score a goal. I want to perform at my best, work hard, play as many games as I can and get promoted and play in the Championship.”
Manager Jon Whitney added: “It’s a fantastic signing for us moving forward. He’s an important player and the run of games he had coincided with us doing really well.
“He was very unfortunate with his injury at Scunthorpe as I felt he was hitting his top form then – and we were seeing the Flo of old from his previous spells with us.
“I was really keen to keep him for next season because he’s the type of person you can build your team around.
“His work ethic is exceptional and his talent is endless. I can see him having a really big season with us next year.”
Born in Anderlecht, Cuvelier spent his youth career in his native Belgium with Excelsior Bievene, Le Louviere and Mouscron before moving to England with Portsmouth in 2008.
He signed for Stoke two years later and featured regularly for their reserves before being loaned out to Walsall in January 2012.
Cuvelier impressed at the Banks’s, scoring four times in 18 appearances - including a second-half equaliser against Huddersfield which preserved our League One status.
The one-time Belgium Under-21 international returned to Walsall on loan the following season and went on to score three goals in 22 matches in all competitions.
After a brief loan stint at Peterborough, Cuvelier moved to Sheffield United on a permanent basis in September 2013.
During a three-year spell with the Blades, he also played on loan at Port Vale and Burton, where he netted a last-minute winner on his debut at Hartlepool in March 2015.