Stamenic gets love back after traumatic year

Marko Stamenic says "the people around Swansea City" have helped him rediscover his love for football during his first year at the Championship club.

Thursday marked 12 months since Stamenic said farewell to Nottingham Forest to take on the challenge of proving himself in the Championship at Swansea.

The 24-year-old has achieved that feat despite the trauma brought by the sudden death of his father Nikola, who he calls the "main figure" in his development as a player, last October.

As he prepares for Saturday's first home league game of the new season, against Sheffield United, Stamenic reflects on "a year of a lot of ups and downs".

"Probably more off the field for me on a personal note as everybody knows," he says.

"But I think having the people around me in this club, it really helped me cross that hurdle, to find my love again for the game and really get back to how I know I am as a player and person."

Stamenic has missed the "daily conversations" with his father about football.

Then there was this summer's World Cup. Stamenic had been inspired when, as an eight-year-old, he sat alongside his dad to watch New Zealand's games at the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Sixteen years later, the midfielder made it to football's grandest stage.

All the family were there to see Stamenic feature in New Zealand's three matches in the USA while his dad was "watching from above".

As has been the case at Swansea, Stamenic says, his New Zealand colleagues helped him through.

"I think both really helped in the transition back to, you could say, reality with my normal day-to-day job," he adds.

"The people around, they just they knew what I needed at the time. If it was space, if it was a conversation, they were always a shoulder to lean on."

Stamenic describes the World Cup experience as "amazing" despite the fact that the All Whites exited at the group stage after a draw with Iran and defeats against Egypt and Belgium.

International duty meant a shortened off-season in which Stamenic got engaged to partner Monica before joining up with Swansea during their July training camp in Austria.

Though there is a long second-tier season ahead, Stamenic insists there are no concerns over a lack of summer rest.

"I was telling my missus while we were on holiday, I'm actually missing football a little bit - she wasn't too happy," he says with a smile.

"The club were great. They gave me three weeks off so I had a lot of time to reflect on the World Cup and then just to rest my body and also my mind."

There were no signs of fatigue as Stamenic impressed during Swansea's league opener at Stoke City last weekend.

Playing in a slightly more advanced role, he was involved – alongside fellow central midfielder Jay Fulton – in the build-up to both goals as Vitor Matos' team came from behind to claim a morale-boosting 2-1 victory.

Stamenic is in somewhat unfamiliar territory at the start of this season, given that he is at the same club he represented in the last campaign.

This is a player who had become used to change. Before joining Swansea, he spent a season at Olympiakos – on loan from Forest – having been at Red Star Belgrade in the previous campaign.

The year before that, Stamenic was at Copenhagen.

"It's nice to have some stability now, being familiar with the club, being able to help new players come in," he says.

"I definitely feel like I'm more familiar and I feel like I'm ready to take the next step in my career in the Championship."

Among the new faces trying to settle at Swansea is Elijah Just, Stamenic's international team-mate who managed three goals at the World Cup.

Stamenic says he played a small part in the attacking midfielder's move from Motherwell, having spoken to Just – as well as Swansea chief executive Tom Gorringe – while the deal was in the pipeline.

"I have brought him along now," Stamenic says with another grin.

"He's a talented, a great player, and obviously a great guy. I'm really happy to have him here and I'm hoping the club is going to see what he brings."

Just made his league debut at Stoke alongside fellow new recruits Stephen Welsh, Joseph Opoku and Moussa Yeo.

With another summer addition, Ross Stewart, available for the first time this weekend, Swansea's squad looks fairly healthy, even if there is still work to do in the transfer market.

And after an 11th-place finish last season, Stamenic says Swansea have loftier ambitions for 2026-27 – though he is quick to take a leaf out of Matos' book by insisting all eyes are on the next game.

"There's no hiding the fact that all of our goals and aspirations are to get promoted - we can't lie about that," Stamenic says.

"But on a day-to-day basis, we're just focusing on training, making sure the standard is high, and then when it comes to Saturday, on doing our job."