Shows What Kind Of Club Stoke City Is – Potters Star Lifts Lid On World Cup Help | OneFootball

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Viktor Johansson believes that the way Stoke City supported him and helped him get ready for the World Cup with Sweden shows what kind of club the Potters are.

After starting the season as Stoke’s first-choice goalkeeper, Johansson picked up a shoulder injury, which kept him sidelined from early 2026.

It put his chances of participating in the World Cup at risk as he could not take part in Sweden’s all-important playoff matches against Ukraine and Poland.

The silver lining was the appearance against Bristol City on the final day of the season, which gave an indication that Johansson was good enough to be a part of the Sweden squad for the tournament in the United States.

He is in Graham Potter’s Sweden squad and is looking to make his mark at the tournament in North America.

Johansson credits the support he received from Stoke as being key to that, not least from goalkeeping coach Darren Behcet, and feels it shows just what type of club the Potters are.

“I’m incredibly happy and grateful, especially to Stoke, who have also helped a lot. They have made sure I got the help I needed”, Johansson told Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen.

“The season ended on 1st May. But still, two ‘keepers stayed and helped me, so that I would be in the best possible shape.

“The goalkeeping coach stayed too.

“They sacrificed their vacation.

“The goalkeeping coach sacrificed his vacation with his family.

“I got to stay at his house. We lived in his house. It was amazing.

“It explains what kind of club and people it is. I am incredibly grateful.”

Johansson faces competition between the sticks for Sweden from Derby County’s Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and AIK’s Kristoffer Nordfeldt.

A good World Cup for Johansson could potentially see Stoke tested with offers for the goalkeeper this summer and it would only serve to increase his value.

Sweden find themselves having been placed in Group F at the World Cup along with the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia.

Potter’s side kick off their World Cup push by taking on Tunisia on Sunday.