Stoke City will have new transfer relief after what has just happened at the World Cup | OneFootball

Stoke City may be relieved that Viktor Johansson was kept out of the spotlight during Sweden's World Cup campaign

Stoke City, after a decade spent finishing in the bottom half of whichever division they have played in, are determined to end that dismal run next campaign by being heavily active in the transfer market, and may well have received a huge transfer boost thanks to what has just happened to Sweden at the World Cup.

Indeed, Stoke are not messing around this time, with numerous plates spinning in the Potteries.

Both goalkeeper Joshua Griffiths and midfielder Djibril Soumare have signed from West Bromwich Albion and Braga, respectively, to begin their summer business, whilst moves for three other players edge closer, as Mark Robins is determined to right the wrongs from last time around, in which Stoke's form suffered a catastrophic collapse.

The Potters are set to stun the division by completing a lucrative move worth north of £10 million for Swansea City midfielder Ethan Galbraith, as the North Staffordshire outfit also look to have beaten strong competition from the likes of Rangers and Portsmouth for the services of 22-year-old Scottish defender Luke Graham from Dundee.

Wrapping up their imminent transfer business, for now, is Swedish midfielder Svante Ingelsson, who looks set to join in a £1 million deal from League One side Sheffield Wednesday, as Stoke may well have received a huge transfer boost concerning Ingelsson's compatriot and one of their star players after what has just happened at the World Cup.

Stoke City receive major Viktor Johansson transfer boost following Graham Potter's World Cup snub

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For a large portion of last campaign, even when their form had tailed off around the midway point of the year, Stoke still sustained the best defensive record in the Championship.

However, injuries across the back line to the likes of Aaron Cresswell, Ben Gibson, Ben Wilmot, Bosun Lawal, Maksym Talovierov, and Junior Tchamadeu disrupted their solid foundations.

Though almost undeniably their biggest loss was that of Swedish shot-stopper Viktor Johansson, who spent almost the entire second half of the season out with a shoulder injury sustained in late December in a 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United.

Tommy Simkin would be recalled from his loan at League One Leyton Orient, whilst Gavin Bazunu was loaned in from division rivals Southampton to offer competition, but neither was able to fill the void left by Johansson, as Stoke's form continued to slip, with only Sheffield Wednesday picking up fewer points than them in the final 30 games of the season.

The Swede recovered just in time for the World Cup in North America this summer, and was picked by former Swansea City and West Ham United boss Graham Potter to join Derby County's Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and former Swans shot-stopper Kristoffer Nordfeldt on the plane.

Nordfeldt started the opening two games of the tournament against Tunisia and the Netherlands, as Zetterstrom replaced the 36-year-old between the sticks for the following two matches against Japan and France.

Sweden would crash out following a 3-0 defeat to France, leaving Johansson resigned to the bench having not played a single minute at the tournament, something which Stoke supporters may love.

Despite having signed a fresh four-year deal recently, reports emerging from Swedish publication Sportsbladet said that each of Hull City, Ipswich Town, and Aston Villa were tracking the services of Johansson this summer ahead of a potential move.

However, with Johansson firmly out of the spotlight, attention from interested parties may have been diverted elsewhere instead, as Stoke look to keep hold of one of their star assets and undoubtedly one of their star performers.

The Swede has consistently been one of their star performers ever since his reported £750k move from Rotherham United back in the summer of 2024, having prevented as many as 10.8 goals, according to FotMob, in his first season at the club as the Potters narrowly scraped survival.

Stoke are without a doubt a better team with Johansson's presence between the sticks, and though his absence from the World Cup does not mean interest will have completely died down, it does give the Potters a significant boost in retaining his services beyond the summer.

Mark Robins may have to thank Graham Potter as Stoke City receive major Viktor Johansson boost

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As Sweden head out of the World Cup, Robins may well be on the phone thanking Potter for his choice to avoid playing Johansson.

Whilst, of course, the 27-year-old will be disappointed on a personal level not to see any minutes at the tournament, it is only a good thing for Stoke in their hopes to keep the shot-stopper at the club.

A good tournament for the former Rotherham United keeper would have almost certainly seen renewed interest this summer, but fortunately for Stoke, this is something they likely don't have to worry about now.