Marko Stamenic says he is ready to pay back Swansea City for the support he received during a challenging first year in south Wales, and has revealed he played a part in helping the club land new signing Elijah Just.
The midfielder, 24, is heading into his second season with the Swans after an eventful summer that included representing New Zealand at the World Cup in North America, where he came up against the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Mo Salah. He also proposed to partner Monica during the break.
Summer of highs and lows
Despite the busy schedule, Stamenic insists he is ready for what he hopes will be a big season. "I was actually telling my missus while we were on holiday that I was kind of missing football a little bit," he said. "She wasn't too happy, but the club were great, they gave me three weeks off so I had a lot of time to reflect on the World Cup firstly and then also just rest my body and also my mind."
Reflecting on the World Cup, he added: "An amazing experience having my family there, friends there, my future wife. We went there with a mentality that we wanted to get out of the group. Unfortunately we didn't achieve that. But we learned a lot. We were a new group, a young group. We played some good football and we showed the world that New Zealand can compete at that level."
Helping land Elijah Just
Stamenic has now been joined at Swansea by All Whites team-mate Elijah Just, who arrived from Motherwell after scoring three goals at the tournament. "Yeah I've brung him along now!" Stamenic joked. "It's good to have another fellow New Zealander. I think he has similar traits as a person. So I think he slots right in. The boys love him."
He added: "He's a talented and great player and obviously a great guy, so I'm really happy to have him here, and I'm hoping the club is going to see what he brings. He showed his qualities in the Scottish league. Had a great season with Motherwell, and then obviously at the World Cup he scored three goals over three games. So he showed his qualities on two big stages, so I think he's ready and he's shown what he's capable of in training and now it's about translating that into the Championship."
Stamenic played a key role in helping the move happen. "I spoke to him," he said. "I was on holiday and I kind of knew about the buzz around him after the World Cup. I talked to Tom [Gorringe] and we had conversations about Eli and he wanted to know a little bit more. Then obviously Eli wanted to know about how life was in Swansea and how football was at the club. I had nothing but good words to speak about the club and I'm happy that I convinced him, or had a little bit to do, with his decision-making to come here."
Overcoming personal tragedy
It is just over a year since Stamenic signed for the Swans, and he has since made 40 appearances in all competitions. His impressive start to life in the Championship came despite being disrupted by off-field tragedy, after his father passed away suddenly in late October. Stamenic says Swansea's support was integral to helping him regain his appetite for the game.
"It's been a year of a lot of ups and downs," he reflected. "Probably more off the field for me on a personal note as everyone knows, but I think having the people around me at this club really helped me cross that hurdle and find my love again for the game and really get back to how I know I am as a player and person. So full credit to the people around the club. That's why I love being here so much."
He added: "That love for the game was tested a lot. Me and my father were always talking football. He was the main figure in my development with football and finding the love for football. So to have him not in my life any more and not have those daily conversations with him was really difficult. It was Swansea, but it was also my national team. So I think both really helped in the transition back to, you could say, reality with my normal day-to-day job."
Stamenic believes the support he received is a testament to the strength of character in the group, and says there is a feeling this squad can achieve something special come the end of the season. "There's no hiding the fact that all of our goals and aspirations are to get promoted," he said. "We can't lie about that. But we're looking at it on a day-to-day basis and we're just focusing first on the training, making sure the standard is high and we're focused. So when it comes to Saturday we can do our job."
