Elijah Just eyes Premier League after remarkable rise

Elijah Just’s path to the top has never looked straightforward. Yet the Swansea City midfielder is now within touching distance of a dream that once seemed remote: playing in the Premier League. After years of steady progress across New Zealand, Denmark, Scotland and international football, the 26-year-old has turned ambition into momentum.

A journey built on patience and belief

Just grew up waking in the early hours to follow New Zealand at the World Cup and to watch Premier League football. That childhood routine has become part of a far bigger story, one shaped by sacrifice, adaptability and a growing reputation in Europe.

“Everyone that follows football watches the Premier League,” Just said. “You wake up in the morning to catch the game. Of course it’s a long season, but you always hope that you can get there. I think that’s everyone’s dream.”

It is a dream now carried by real possibility. Swansea sit second in the Championship early in the season, and Just has become a regular presence in midfield. The road ahead is long, but the opening signs suggest the Welsh club have the form and structure to challenge at the sharp end.

From Porirua to Europe

Just’s football story began at the Ole Football Academy in Porirua, New Zealand, where he left home at 14. There, he met future Swansea teammate Marko Stamenic and began building the technical base that has carried him across continents.

A link between the academy and the American owners of Danish club Helsingor led to a month-long trial in Denmark. Soon after his 19th birthday, Just signed his first professional contract. It was a breakthrough moment, but also the start of another challenge: proving himself in unfamiliar environments and different leagues.

He helped Helsingor earn promotion from Denmark’s third tier, then moved to Horsens in 2022 and sampled top-flight football in Denmark before relegation followed. A loan spell with SKN St Polten in Austria came next, before a move to Motherwell transformed his profile.

Motherwell unlocked the next level

There was no major fanfare when Just arrived at Fir Park, but the signing proved inspired. Under Jens Berthel Askou, a manager he had previously played for at Horsens, Just flourished in a stylish Motherwell side that regularly exceeded expectations.

He scored seven goals in 35 Scottish Premiership games for Motherwell and was shortlisted for the Scottish footballer of the year award. For a player who had spent years working his way up the ladder, it was a powerful sign that his game had matured.

“Coming from New Zealand, just to be able to play football full-time in Europe is something that is quite difficult,” he said. “I had a nice stroke of luck when one of my old managers, Jens, brought me to Motherwell. Then the whole team kind of came together in like this really nice way where we played good football, we exceeded the expectations and I was just lucky to be a part of that.”

A World Cup that changed the conversation

Just’s club form earned attention, but his performances at the World Cup pushed him further into the spotlight. New Zealand were outsiders in the tournament, appearing only for the third time on football’s biggest stage. But Just helped them make an immediate impact.

He scored in the seventh minute of the opening match against Iran, added a second in a 2-2 draw, and then found the net again in the defeat to Belgium. Those goals were not just personal milestones; they gave New Zealand genuine belief in a tournament where they hoped to compete, not simply participate.

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“I was really fortunate that the year at Motherwell was so successful that I was able to carry some confidence into the World Cup,” Just said. “It was just an incredible experience, not just the games but being there in the Fifa bubble, with the support out on the street and just seeing everyone enjoying football no matter where they came from.”

He also noted the impact back home. New Zealand’s run briefly pushed rugby’s All Blacks off the back pages, a rare and telling shift in the country’s sporting landscape. Kids watched in schools, fans gathered in pubs, and football became the focus in a way that resonated well beyond the pitch.

Swansea move raises the stakes

Less than a month after the tournament, Just joined Swansea in a deal reported to be worth around £5m. The transfer was another step up, but it also came with higher scrutiny. So far, he has featured in all seven of Swansea’s league games, though he believes his best football is still ahead.

“I think I’m still adjusting,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve shown my best out on the pitch yet but I’ve still enjoyed it. The team that have surrounded me have been great. I’m trying to do anything I can do to help the team.”

That honesty is part of what makes his rise compelling. Just is no overnight sensation. He is a player who has climbed gradually, improved consistently and arrived at Swansea with experience in multiple systems, multiple countries and, crucially, pressure moments on the international stage.

The Premier League dream is now realistic

If Swansea can sustain their early season form, Just’s target becomes more than aspiration. It becomes a legitimate route into the Premier League, the competition he grew up watching in New Zealand before dawn breaks. For a player whose route included academy development, Danish promotion, Austrian adaptation and Scottish success, that would be the ultimate reward.

His story is still unfolding, but the arc is clear. Just has already gone from schoolboy dreamer to World Cup scorer to key Championship midfielder. The next chapter could be the biggest yet.

For now, the mission is simple: keep performing, keep improving and keep Swansea’s promotion charge moving. If that happens, the boy who once watched the Premier League on early mornings may finally become part of it.