Stephen Eustaquio swiftly agreed to join Swansea City when the opportunity arose. Fresh from aiding Canada in reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time, the midfielder was enticed by the chance to help the Welsh club in their pursuit to return to the Premier League, especially with the prospect of reuniting with a familiar coach.
In a recent announcement, Swansea confirmed the signing of the 29-year-old from Porto on a two-year deal, with an additional season option. Eustaquio highlighted the significant influence of head coach Vitor Matos, with whom he had previously collaborated at Porto, in his decision-making process.
Expressing his satisfaction with the move, Eustaquio stated, “It was almost a no-brainer for me. I know what I’m going to get here, so I’m very happy that I made this decision.” Despite Swansea’s 11th-place finish in the Championship last season, far from the promotion playoffs, Eustaquio acknowledged the challenging road ahead in their Premier League quest.
“The dream of being part of a big club looking to get back to the top league was the big attraction for me,” he remarked. “Obviously, it’s going to be very hard, but at the same time, if you think game by game, it’s very possible to create a special atmosphere here in the stadium, and it might be a special season. Who knows?”
Originally from Leamington, Ontario, and of Portuguese descent, Eustaquio relocated to Portugal as a child. Prior to his stint at Porto, he featured for Portuguese outfit Chaves and Mexico’s Cruz Azul. With over 150 appearances during his four-and-a-half years at Porto, Eustaquio also had a brief loan spell at Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC earlier this year.
Having earned 61 caps for Canada and represented his country in the last two World Cups, Eustaquio played a pivotal role in Canada’s recent World Cup journey. Notably, he scored a crucial stoppage-time goal in Canada’s 1-0 win over South Africa in the Round of 32 before Canada’s exit at the hands of Morocco. Eustaquio also took on the captain’s responsibilities in several matches in the absence of Alphonso Davies due to injury.
Reflecting on his recent achievements, Eustaquio expressed, “This summer was amazing. For us as a country, it was a dream come true to go so far in such an amazing tournament. The fact that we broke some records was amazing, and the fact that I was able to help the team with that goal against South Africa was a really big moment of happiness.”
Eustaquio is set to wear the No. 46 jersey for Swansea and could make his debut in the upcoming weekend fixture against Derby County.
