'When Derby County wanted to sign me, I thought oh my God this is huge'
Jacob Widell Zetterstrom strolls into the media room at Derby County's training ground and it's hard not to be overawed by his presence.
The chair he is sitting on looks tiny in comparison to his 6ft 6in frame that gives us an indication as to what strikers must feel like when he is standing in the goalmouth. There is much to discuss with the Sweden international following his move to Derby and he is engaging company over a fascinating 45 minutes.
Having spent all of his career in his homeland, it is Zetterstrom's first rodeo in England in terms of club football. But he has visited these shores numerous times before so it should come as no surprise then that he has quickly adapted to life in Derbyshire.
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"I love coming here every day," he says. "Not only is it gorgeous, but the people are so nice. It feels like coming home. I couldn't be more happier. It's lovely that people show love, come up to you and it really makes you feel welcome. It's really beautiful. I've been to England before and I spent some time in London as a kid."
The speed with which Zetterstrom has settled into his surroundings has been reflected in his performances. He was named in the Championship team of the week following the 1-0 victory over Cardiff earlier in the season during which he made a pivotal double save in the first half. Derby committed to a long pursuit of the 26-year-old's signature after Djurgarden refused to let him leave until they had sourced a replacement and he also had to assist with their Europa Conference League campaign.
He found himself in the strange position of playing while awaiting the green light to seal his move. But that situation did give him the chance that not many other players are afforded when they have been at a club for such a large chunk of their life - the opportunity to say goodbye. After his last game against Ilves, which ended in a 3-1 victory, Djurgarden fans gave him a heartwarming send-off.
"It was emotional but I think it should be as well because I was there for a long time, practically my whole life," he tells DerbyshireLive. "I was there between eight and 16, switched clubs, and then came back and played from 20 to 26. I had a great time being there and it was just amazing to hear, experience and feel the love. I was given a proper send-off and it was really nice. Of course it's going to be emotional and I'm happy it was because had it not been then I might have not had such a great time if that makes sense.
"But once I was on the plane to come here, it was emotional for two reasons. Leaving is always going to be tough, but I was also happy join Derby. I had all these emotions in my head. I felt overwhelmed then and there, but I haven't had a sad moment. It was overwhelming but in a good way.
"The move itself was a special one because it took some time, but the beauty of football is once you're on the pitch, you just focus on the game and so I think I managed that fairly well. But in between the games, obviously a lot was going on in my head about the move.
"How can I put this? After a while, I just knew that I was going to be here at Derby. I had plenty of contact with Paul Warne (head coach) and Andy Warrington (goalkeeping coach) who just said to focus on the games and it would be sorted out. That was good for me and I managed to do that. Then I got the green light, came here, and I've loved every single second of it."
Zetterstrom's ambition has been to always play in England and his mother Jelena, his brother Gabriel and his sister, also named Jelena, are his biggest supporters. He grew up watching English football on the television in Sweden and now the dream has become a reality. But as he explains, he did not immediately set out to be a goalkeeper.
"I've been following English football since I was a kid," he continues. "Once I heard Derby were interested, I was just thinking 'Oh my God, this is huge'. It's such a big club with such a long history and that was special to hear. But growing up watching English football, I would say Petr Cech was someone I looked up to. He always stood out. My grandmother is from the Czech Republic as well and when I started to wear the helmet it made even more sense. The level he always performs at and the huge amount of clean sheets he kept was ridiculous.
"You watch goalkeepers from other leagues like Gianluigi Buffon and I watched so many clips of Iker Casillas. I wanted to wear short sleeves like them and when I could, I never stopped. But at first, I didn't want to be a goalkeeper, I wanted to be a striker and was up until I was about 11 or something like that. Then I was moved on to the second team at Djurgarden. All of a sudden the goalkeeper quit and went to focus on ice hockey instead.
"The team needed a goalkeeper for a tournament and when we played for fun before and after training, the coach thought that two or three of us were decent goalkeepers. He picked two of us for that tournament and I thought it was so much fun. I was bouncing around like a maniac and I loved it. There was no fear and I could mainly do whatever I wanted in a sense. I thought I may have been okay in that tournament as well considering they they wanted me to stay as a goalkeeper. From the age of 11, I switched from from striker to goalkeeper and my God that was a good decision. I didn't look back and that feeling of making a save just sticks with you and makes you want to chase it."
Arriving at Derby, Zetterstrom quickly noticed the energy that is transmitted by Paul Warne and during their first meeting, the head coach introduced himself wearing a Djurgarden cap that he had bought during his scouting mission to Sweden. That immediately struck a chord and Zetterstrom has also settled into the dressing room even though he has needed time to understand some of the dressing room's sense of humour.
"The players are a lovely group but I have to translate all the jokes before I understand them," he smiles. "You feel slow like that. It's like hearing a song and every one on the radio is in English which is your first language. And for me if it was in Swedish then I would understand the feeling straight away.
"But I have to translate the jokes and then you realise they might be making fun of you. But it's such a great group. From the very first day, they've been just amazing and the same goes for the keeper's union like Josh Vickers, Rohan Luthra and the youth guys as well. I also had a good feeling right off the bat with the manager. He wore a Djurgarden cap in our first meeting and I just loved seeing that. He and Andy Warrington instantly showed what incredible people they are.
"The football side is so important. but you have to have a good connection with the people around it as well. I got that from the start. He's a funny guy, really lights the room up and he works really well with the players. I'm very happy to be here and playing for him."
