Stoke City must avoid Wouter Burger, Sol Sidibe repeat as West Ham update emerges | OneFootball

Stoke City will be hoping to hold on to Viktor Johansson this summer as Premier League interest emerges

Stoke City will be hoping to retain the services of star goalkeeper Viktor Johansson this summer, with rumours of West Ham among other Premier League clubs circling the Swedish international.

Last season, Stoke avoided the drop to League One by the skin of their teeth, finishing just one point above the relegation zone with a goalless draw away to Derby County on the final day, enough to secure their Championship status for another season.

But it could, and more than likely would, have been a very different story if it weren't for Johansson in goal for the Potters.

The 26-year-old played every minute for Stoke last season and just as well, according to Fbref, Stoke faced 209 shots on their goal across the entire season, with Johansson making 151 saves, the highest in the league in both metrics.

To add to that, the Swede had a positive PSxG (Post-Shot expected Goals) of 14.4, again, the highest in the league and nearly three more than Man City's new £27 million signing James Trafford.

It would therefore be fair to suggest that Stoke would more than likely be a League One club right now if it weren't down to their captain's heroics in goal; manager Mark Robins will be desperate to keep hold of him.

Potters must avoid Wouter Burger and Sol Sidibe repeat

This summer, Stoke has already seen both Wouter Burger and Sol Sidibe depart the club for Hoffenheim and PSV, respectively.

According to Pete Smith via Stoke-on-Trent Live, Stoke have made a 'substantial profit' on Burger, who they initially signed from Swiss side Basel in the summer of 2023 for £4.3 million, with the actual fee of his transfer to Hoffenheim being undisclosed.

Sidibe, on the other hand, heads to the Netherlands to link up with PSV, with the fee being undisclosed but believed to have substantial future clauses, should they be met.

Stoke needed to make one or two big sales to ensure they adhered to the profit and sustainability rules and were also able to bring in players for fees themselves.

With Burger and Sidibe having left, the Potters are in a much stronger position than they were at the beginning of the window, meaning they will be unlikely to be willing to let Johansson go for cheap.

What Premier League interest in Johansson means for Stoke

With the beginning of the Championship season less than a week away from beginning, Stoke simply cannot afford to lose Johansson now, especially considering the other options afforded to them in the current squad.

Jack Bonham and Frank Fielding make up the other two goalkeepers in the Potters' ranks, though neither of them is an ideal choice to step in as number one.

England youth international Tommy Simkin has headed out on loan to Leyton Orient for the season, following a successful loan spell with Walsall last campaign and is unlikely to be recalled anytime soon.

Should Stoke lose Johansson, this would mean that they would have to delve into the market for a new starting shot-stopper; finding one nearly as good as the Swede for a similar price on the face of it seems like an impossible task.