Ben Johnson reveals exactly why he left Ipswich Town for Stoke City | OneFootball

Stoke City defender Ben Johnson has revealed why he decided to join Stoke City on loan this summer from Ipswich Town

Stoke City were busy shopping at Ipswich Town this summer, and despite being interested in as many as four of the Tractor Boys' stars, they signed only George Hirst and Ben Johnson, with the latter having now revealed why he decided to make the move to the Potteries.

Stoke have recovered from their three defeats on the spin to open the 2026/27 Championship season by heading into the international break five unbeaten, winning four and drawing the other.

Mark Robins' decision to switch to a 3-4-2-1 shape has, so far, looked to be a masterstroke, extracting the best from numerous players, including Ipswich loanee Johnson.

Ben Johnson has revealed why he decided to join Stoke City on loan from Ipswich Town

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Johnson, 26, came through the academy of West Ham United, playing over a century of games for the Hammers across all competitions before joining Ipswich in the summer of 2024.

Having helped the Tractor Boys back to the Premier League last season, the defender found himself behind Darnell Furlong and Dara O'Shea more often than not in Kieran McKenna's pecking order, and now, having decided to join Stoke on loan in the summer, following Hirst to the Potteries, Johnson has revealed why he has made the switch.

Speaking to Stoke Sentinel, when asked whether he has thrown himself into life at his new club, Johnson said: "I mean you’ve got to, right?

"I’m someone who wants to experience things in my career and try new things. I feel like it’s important to not stay comfortable. You’ve got to take the opportunities when they’re there to develop your and build character. It’s going to help me in the long run and even after football, living in different places, meeting new people and developing a new routine.

"I’ve decided to come here because I’m ambitious and it’s a good club. I wasn’t going to turn it down. My job is to play football and if you don’t have the opportunity to do that, what’s the point? Stoke have given me the opportunity to play and I took it because I saw the vision. I am really enjoying it at the minute and I’m looking forward to having a good season, making friends and making memories that could last a lifetime."

Johnson is already just a few 90 minutes away from surpassing his total amount of time played for Ipswich in the Championship last season with Stoke, having emerged as a key figure at right wing-back in Junior Tchamadeu's absence, and so far, looks to have been an incredibly savvy pickup by the Potters.

Why Stoke City signed Ben Johnson on loan

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Full-back was a problem area for Stoke throughout the entirety of last campaign, with both Aaron Cresswell and Tchamadeu spending time out of action, forcing the likes of Ben Gibson, Maksym Talovierov, Bosun Lawal, Ben Wilmot, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Sydney Agina, and Sorba Thomas to cover on either side of defence.

With Johnson, the 26-year-old is capable of playing anywhere across the back line, with his versatility clearly a hugely attractive factor for Robins.

However, with nearly a century of appearances in the top flight, Johnson provides more than versatility, and upon his arrival at Stoke, he is one of the most experienced players at the highest level in their current squad.

With Tchamadeu having missed a large portion of the opening stages of the season with injury, Johnson has ensured the Cameroonian's absence hasn't been harshly felt, and though it is only a loan deal, he could well prove to be their signing of the summer.

Mark Robins will be delighted with Ben Johnson's Stoke City impact already

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Given Stoke's upturn in form over the last five games and Johnson's key impact during that period, the former Coventry City boss must be delighted with his impact so far.

The defender has never played over 1,500 minutes across an entire league campaign in his career to date, but now, there is a very real chance he could achieve that with Stoke, as it appears to be a match made in heaven between player and club.