--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-07-26T14:19:23.323Z last_updated: 2026-07-25T09:34:10+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/swansea-city/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FsZXNvbmxpbmUuY28udWsvc3BvcnQvZm9vdGJhbGwvZm9vdGJhbGwtbmV3cy9ldGhhbi1nYWxicmFpdGhzLXN3YW5zZWEtY2l0eS1leHBlY3RhdGlvbi0zNDM0OTg4Mg --- # Ethan Galbraith's Swans expectation as he responds to Stoke City surprise - **Source:** - **Published:** 25 Jul - **Club:** Swansea City - **Original URL:** https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ethan-galbraiths-swansea-city-expectation-34349882 The midfielder moved to Stoke City this summer in a transfer deal in the region of £10million. He had spent just one season in south Wales, a campaign which was a successful one personally for the Northern Irishman, who turned in a number of eye-catching displays in both midfield and in the slightly more unfamiliar role at right-back on occasions. The former Manchester United man has now spoken about his move to the Potteries and his early experiences with his new club. “Definitely the right decision for me,” he told our sister title The Sentinel. “Being here now for a couple of weeks, just the standard intensity of the training sessions, what they got and the staff want from us, it's been brilliant. “You can see everyone's on the same page of where we want to go as a team and as a club. “You want to be as fit as you can be, because the way we want to play, we want to be intense, we want to sort of run over teams, be physical. "I think pre-season so far has been all those things, so I think it's going to put us in great stead when it comes to the first game of the season.” In a quirk of fate, the former Leyton Orient man will face his former employers in the first league game of the season, with Galbraith adding that he'll be focusing on the job in hand when Swansea travel to the bet365 Stadium on August 15. “It's was a surprise, obviously, you're not ready for that, but at the same time it's football, so whatever the first game of the season was it was never going to change my mind," he said. “Going off social media and stuff, [I’ll get] probably not the best reception, but at the end of the day, it's football, you just have to get on with it and do your job and give your best to try and get three points.” The deal which saw him swap the Swansea.com Stadium for the bet365 surprised supporters and commentators alike, with EFL pundit Don Goodman raising an eyebrow when speaking about the move earlier this month. He said: “I saw the £10million figure being floated around, but clearly, it's a significant sum of money. “I was surprised on two fronts, really. Firstly, I'm surprised Swansea were prepared to sell him. You would expect them to have a bit of ambition this season, especially given they brought in a new manager who did very, very well. Maybe the figure was just too good for them to turn down. That’s certainly what it looks like. “Secondly, with all due respect to Stoke, they haven't had a top-half finish in the eight seasons they've spent in the Championship since being relegated from the Premier League. "They haven't even cracked the top half once, which is a staggering statistic. So, with the greatest of respect, I was surprised they were able to attract him, because I'm sure he would have had plenty of other suitors. “That said, Stoke are showing real intent. I think they've probably done more business in this window so far than any other team, so there is clearly a massive desire to push upwards from Stoke City. I rate him really highly. "He's a very composed player, excellent on the ball, can play in multiple positions, and reads the game well. I think Stoke have landed a cracking player there. It's also great to see them backing Mark Robins." Galbraith says he'll be blocking out the "outside noise" around his move. “You try and not think about it too much, you've came to the club to play football, so try and just focus on being the best version of me, and hopefully producing," he added. “It is a game where everyone's going to have an opinion, but as players the only opinion you try and take heed of is obviously the manager, coaching staff and your teammates, because that's who you're primarily playing for and playing with, so the outside noise you try and sort of block it out.”