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".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."