"With Mark Robins at the wheel" - Bold transfer claim made on Viktor Johansson at Stoke City | OneFootball

Stoke City's FLW fan pundit backs the shot-stopping Swede to stay at the Bet365 Stadium unless any lucrative offers come in

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

For the second straight summer, it's looking like Swedish goalkeeper Viktor Johansson will be one of the most sought-after players coming out of the Championship.

After impressing in a defensively inept Rotherham United squad in the 2023/24 season, the 26-year-old was expected to head to pastures new and remain in the Championship, despite conceding 85 goals that campaign.

Many neutral Championship fans backed Johansson to be the number one in a side competing for a spot in the play-offs this time round. Therefore, it came as a shock to some when Stoke City, who had finished just six points above the drop, wrapped up his services two weeks after the culmination of the season.

It was a statement of intent for the Potters, but one which fell flat, with the club still battling relegation nearly 12 months later. Despite this, Johansson is proving again why he is among one of the best goalkeepers at this level.

So, as we head towards the summer yet again, it seems that Johansson may finally make that move to a top-end Championship club. However, this is not the opinion of FLW's Stoke City fan pundit, Sam Harrison, who boldly claims that Johansson could spearhead a new-look Potters side next season with Mark Robins at the helm unless a top-flight side comes knocking.

Viktor Johansson could lead a revamped Stoke City, according to fan pundit

Whilst the focus right now is on Championship survival, one eye is on improving for next season at the Bet365 Stadium. Stoke City have one of the better managers in the league in Mark Robins, and the feeling is that he'll be overseeing a big overhaul in players ahead of his first full season at the club.

And, despite interest in Viktor Johansson being inevitable, Sam told Football League World that he believes the 26-year-old may stay.

"It's a big call, and a lot of Stoke fans will feel I'm being a bit optimistic, but I've got a gut feeling he'll stay," he said.

"Stoke will have a lot to do to make sure that he doesn't get attracted with a move away as he's one of the top keepers in the league and one of the few that are currently playing for a bottom-half club, so you'd feel that teams in the summer may look at him as a player they could get for cheap.

"I think with Mark Robins at the wheel though, it could convince him to stay. I think there's going to be a big revamp at Stoke in the summer in terms of a number of players leaving and while there'll be a lot of attraction [for Johansson], I think other players will move on, and he will stay."

Sam stated that he felt that certain ultimatums would have to be met for the in-demand shot-stopper to stay. Firstly, he feels that Johansson would become club captain, a role which he has taken for almost the whole of 2025 in the absence of Ben Gibson.

Additionally, whilst Johansson could lead the new-look Stoke side, his immediate future would depend on how much support he would be given on the pitch.

He said: "If Stoke are relying on him too much it would take a lot of persuading for him to stay, so it could depend on other outgoings. The likes of Wouter Burger, Milon Manhoef and Bae Jun-ho...depending on whether they stay could dictate whether Johansson stays or goes too."

Stoke City shouldn't stand in the way of a "lucrative" top-flight offer

Whilst the ideal scenario would see Viktor Johansson remain at Stoke City, there is the possibility that clubs in the Premier League and Serie A may come calling for the Swede's services, with Swedish outlet Sportbladet reporting last month that both Bournemouth and Como are interested in acquiring the shot-stopper this summer.

Stoke purchased Johansson for an undisclosed fee in the summer, believed to be in the region of £750,000 due to a relegation release clause in his contract at Rotherham. If the Potters are to improve their squad overall this summer, they may look at the large potential profits they would receive if they were to sell Johansson as something they cannot turn down.

Sam concluded: "It is really tough because when you look at the team, he's the one that Stoke would get the most money for if he went, so if a lucrative deal came in I think we'd let him go.

"But I do think out of all of [the in-demand players at Stoke], he's the more likely to stay, even if it is a bold statement [to make]."