Marko Stamenic has become a fixture for the All Whites. Photo / Photosport
Marko Stamenic believes he is on track to realise his Premier League dream with Nottingham Forest.
The All Whites midfielder signed with the English club last July, in a massive move for the Wellington-born player. He inked a five-year deal – but was then immediately loaned out to sister club Olympiacos, who share the same owner, Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis.
It wasn’t a surprise, with Stamenic informed of the plan during the transfer process. The path back to Nottingham won’t be straightforward – given the constant talent turnover in Europe – but the 22-year-old knows what he has to do.
“There are fine details, fine tuning in my game, being young,” Stamenic told the Herald. “I need to continue to learn; to get stronger, to get fitter, to get faster, develop my body into the figure that the Premier League needs as a midfielder as well.
“It’s obviously a different monster – the best league in the world and it’s faster, people are stronger and technically better so I needed that extra year or however long they believe it would be to be ready for the Premier League. Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos have the same mentality, the same vision and they play the same style of play so it will help me to adjust easier when I arrive in Nottingham.”
From a distance, Stamenic looks the relaxed type. He’s unhurried and composed on the ball, covers the ground with long strides and is a chilled presence off the field. But that persona belies a steely determination and drive, that has seen him make spectacular progress over the last five years.
“It’s always tense with football,” said Stamenic. “You are always in a performance mode, every single day, not only for games but also for trainings. Of course I’m trying to implement the things [Forest] have told me to work on every day. I’m really critical with my game, with my training and try to adjust small things to better myself every day. I definitely will never and have not taken my foot off the [pedal]. I am continuing, not relaxing and that’s how I like it.”
Stamenic moved to Europe in September 2020, after a successful trial with FC Copenhagen. There was time with second division club HB Koge on loan (23 games) and another 23 matches with Copenhagen in the top tier, where he won the Danish Cup.
By July 2023 he had secured a move to Red Star Belgrade, where he played 35 matches as the famous Serbian club won the league and cup double, before Forest swooped. His resume already includes seven Champions League matches – including games against Manchester City (three), Sevilla and Red Bull Leipzig – and Europa League encounters against Olympique Lyon and Malmo FF.
Stamenic has also quickly become an All Whites fixture. Since making his debut against Curacao in September 2021 he has made 26 appearances (24 starts). He has only missed one window (the Nations Cup in June, due to the Forest transfer) and sets an example with his professionalism and competitiveness. He was the last to arrive for this current window – at 5am on Wednesday – but defied jet lag to start last Friday’s 8-1 over Vanuatu, then was disappointed to be substituted by coach Darren Bazeley after 75 minutes.
Former All Whites midfielder and current assistant coach Simon Elliot feels Stamenic’s vision and quickness of thought is one of his biggest strengths.
“He knows where his outs are, before he gets the ball,” said Elliott. “So he has time – he is always aware of what the next pass or two or three is before he has got the ball. For me, really good players have a great understanding of pressure – how to create it and how to escape it.”
Elliott, who played for two MLS clubs as well as Fulham in the Premier League, is impressed by Stamenic’s progression.
“Potential is one thing and translating that into whatever comes next is a process,” added Elliott. “He has consistently challenged himself, put himself in tough environments and is starting to thrive. Every time I see him, he gets a little bit better. It’s exciting to think where he could go.”
Stamenic’s current club scenario is the highest pressure environment so far. Olympiacos is by far the most successful (47 league titles) and popular club in Greece and the squad is assembled from across the world, with the roster including players from Portugal (four), Brazil (two), Argentina (two), Italy, France, Turkey, Norway, Morocco, Ukraine and Albania along with the large local contingent, while coach Jose Luis Mendilibar has previously managed Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao.
“There’s a lot of rotation,” said Stamenic, who has appeared in seven of 11 league games. “I’ve been in and out of the team but you know, that’s football. I’m learning a lot from the players, from the staff. It is benefitting my game and also from a human point of view, learning a lot about myself.”
Along with most of the foreign players, Stamenic lives in a compound in Piraeus, south of Athens. With a beach nearby and a friendly climate he loves the lifestyle – “one of the best so far” – though rarely ventures into the city, given the fanaticism of local football fans.
“I definitely try to avoid it,” said Stamenic. “If you are smart about it you can get away with it and maybe wear a hat or some glasses if you really need to go out. But I try to stay in my own area. If you were to go there for dinner you definitely get recognised, a lot of fans wanting pictures and autographs and conversations.
“I like to go every once in a while because it is a beautiful place, for fans probably it is a great experience for them to meet players from the club that they love. But most of the time I like to keep in my space at home, or go for walks around my region.”
Though it is on a different scale, Monday’s All Whites match against Samoa will be a special occasion for Stamenic, given his Samoan heritage through his mother Kalala. There’ll plenty of family and friends in the stands, including his parents and three cousins who have made the trip from Wellington, taking the rare opportunity to see him in action.
“That’s one of the best things about coming back,” said Stamenic. “We don’t get to do it often but it is always special.”
Coach Darren Bazeley is expected to make a number of personnel changes for the match, in the last opportunity to assess his players before the World Cup Oceania qualifying semifinals and final in March.
However, it would be a surprise if Stamenic didn’t start, given his track record wearing the silver fern. Bazeley won’t reveal his team until Monday evening but did confirm after Sunday’s training that man of the moment and talismanic striker Chris Wood would start against Samoa.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
The All Whites will wonder what might have been, given the lapses for both Ukraine goals.