Exclusive: Stoke City backed to retain player eyed by West Ham - Sky Sports man believes he is "standout" | OneFootball

Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has urged Stoke to do all they can to keep hold of goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.

West Ham United and several Premier League clubs are interested in signing Stoke City goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.

The Swedish shot-stopper arrived from Rotherham United last summer following a £1 million deal with the Millers.

Fabrizio Romano, alongside Swedish outlet Sportsbladet, have reported that Premier League outfit West Ham carry an interest in the 26-year-old.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Sky Sports Pundit Lee Hendrie has urged the Potters to keep hold of their goalkeeper, who was one of their standout performers in a disappointing campaign last time around.

Lee Hendrie urges Stoke to keep hold of Johansson

"He had a great season in a poor team," said Hendrie when asked whether the Potters should be doing all they can to keep the shot-stopper.

"He was one of their standouts. What he produced last season was very good. I remember going through his stats last season, and he was one of Stoke's shining lights."

Johansson kept 14 clean sheets in the Championship last term and prevented the second-most goals of any goalkeeper across the division. His performances between the sticks for the Potters were a huge reason as to how they steered clear of the bottom three.

"It is a big season for Stoke with Robins at the helm," added Hendrie. "They need to bring the right personnel in and move forward.

"You don't want to be losing big players, because then you are just taking a big step backwards."

Stoke's Championship campaign begins this Saturday, as they welcome John Eustace's Derby County to the Bet365 Stadium.

Stoke need to avoid big sales

Wouter Burger joined Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim earlier this summer, with the deal being the first blow of the window for the club.

After a disappointing 18th-place finish in the Championship last term, the last thing that Stoke now need is to continue letting important players go.

While reports suggest that Stoke have turned down approaches for Johansson, this plan needs to be followed as they head into their first full season under Mark Robins, unless a sizeable fee too good to be turned down comes to fruition.

Robins is a more than capable operator at Championship level, and his record with Coventry showcases that. He worked fantastically to stabilise the Sky Blues in the second tier before eventually leading the club to the 2023 play-off final.

Johansson would be an incredibly difficult player to replace, especially this close to the season.