Da Cunha puts pen to paper on new deal with Galway United
Goalkeeper is the latest in a dozen players who have been announced as being under contract for new season
Galway United's preparations for the 2027 League of Ireland season received a boost today with the news that goalkeeper Hugo Da Cunha has put pen to paper on a deal to keep him at Eamonn Deacy Park next season.
The Portuguese native joined United ahead of the 2026 season as a back-up to Evan Watts, before stepping in to the first team when Watt's loan spell at United was ended by his parent club, Swansea City.
Da Cunha (25) made his debut in a 3-0 defeat away to St Patrick's Athletic in early July, and soon proved himself a more than capable first-choice goalkeeper with a string of fine performances across the final third of the season, going on to make 18 appearances, keeping five clean sheets in that run: Watts played the entire 90 minutes of United's first 21 games of the season, and didn't manage a clean sheet in any of those games.
Da Cunha joins a number of other players who United have announced are under contract for the club for 2027, including Vincent Angelini, number two to Da Cunha during the season, who made his debut in the final game of the season, the 2-0 defeat away to Drogheda United.
The club has also confirmed that Dylan Connolly, Anthony O'Connor, and Frantz Pierrot have left the club; while the loan spells of Leigh Kavanagh (Bohemians) and Conor Barratt (Barnsley) have also ended, and they have returned to their parent clubs.
According to Galway United, the players under contract for 2027 are Vincent Angelini, Aaron Bolger, Killian Brouder, Lee Devitt, Gianfranco Facchineri, David Hurley, Al-Amin Kazeem, Edward McCarthy, Kris Twardek, Stephen Walsh, Wasiri Williams, and Matthew Wolfe.
The Professional Footballers Association of Ireland (PFAI) issued its updated transfer list this week, which it says "features League of Ireland Premier Division and First Division players who are seeking a new club for the 2027 season", and both Junior Thiam and Francely Lomboto are included on that list.
Lomoboto's brother, Gradi (Athlone Town), is also on the list, as are fellow Galwegians Brian Cunningham (Treaty United), Steven Healy (Treaty United), and Ronan Manning (Athlone Town).
Williams was also included on the list last week, despite being announced as being under contract with United, but an updated list this week no longer includes the defender's name.