“He’s the best goalkeeper in the Championship” were the words of former Rotherham manager Matt Taylor when he singled out Viktor Johansson in what was a statement-making season for the Sweden goalkeeper in 2023.
He soon added that the 26-year-old’s shot-stopping ability was at times “in the world class category.”
This statement was made a few years ago when Johansson won his first Player of the Season award in a campaign where Rotherham finished 19th in the EFL Championship table.
But that statement still makes sense today. Stoke have struggled to find a valid goalkeeper since their Premier League days which featured the likes of Asmir Begovic and Jack Butland - the latter staying during the early Championship seasons until 2020.
Although it sounds far-fetched, the reputation of Johansson, a goalkeeper in prime footballing age, could become huge at a club like Stoke, who’ve struggled to find any success since dropping down from the Premier League in 2018.
Will he match or even better the levels of Gordon Banks, arguably the best goalkeeper ever? It goes without saying that feat is quite literally impossible to reach, but if Stoke continue to score with Johansson stopping 76.9 per cent of shots he faces, there’s little doubt that the Potters will eventually reach the top-flight again in the coming years.
Alongside his fourth-best save percentage in the second division, the Swede also holds the top spot for goals prevented. FotMob suggests Johansson has prevented 8.4 goals which puts him at the top ahead of Oxford’s Jamie Cumming on 4.3 and Swansea’s Lawrence Vigouroux at 3.0.
Johansson’s presence at Stoke has recently become known through impressive performances which have often been at the hands of the Potters keeper - he has three Player of the Match awards so far this year and only looks to be getting better.
Johansson's rise to fine form in the Championship
Johansson initially began his career with fluctuating minutes and switching between academies - the most prominent of which include Aston Villa and Leicester City.
However, Johnasson also had a spell with National League North club Alfreton Town on loan in 2018 just a couple of seasons before he made a name for himself at Rotherham.
Looking back on his time at Rotherham, he had an outstanding season in 2020-21 which saw him earn the Young Player of the Season award despite Rotherham being relegated. He was later recognised as the Player of the Season in 2023 even though his side finished six points from relegation.
In Stoke’s recent 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, Johansson made a series of important saves before lining up with his teammates and celebrating with the away fans after the final whistle.
Million Manhoef - who never seems to score a boring goal - broke the deadlock before Tom Cannon earned his sixth goal of the season, and scored his second penalty in back-to-back games.
It was the first time this season that Stoke have won back-to-back games and Narcis Pelach really looks to be portraying his football identity at the bet365 Stadium - it’s something his side has long been waiting for after a drab run of countless, helpless managers.
Pelach, appointed in place of predecessor Steven Schumacher in September, has praised Johnasson but also wants more from him in an effort to get him to his maximum potential.
He said: “Viktor’s very ambitious. I said after the game, it’s a great performance but I want more. You need to make sure you stay humble because you can grow more, there are more things you can do.
“Don’t get too high because it’s just a win, just three points.
“There’s another game on Saturday and we have to make sure we stay at the maximum level we can because it’s a tough game against one of the best teams in the Championship over the last eight games.
“Millwall are in great form, a tough team, they defend really well, compete really well.”
About Johansson, Pelach added: “His character is very honest, very humble, very ambitious but this is something you need to prove every day.
“We are all where we are and every day is a test, you need to make sure you shit it every day. That’s what I mean.”
Too early to compare - but an impossible feat could become a reality if promotion is on the cards.
Let’s be honest. Stoke aren't doing the best this season but at the moment they’re showing more positive signs by the game and the momentum Pelach’s side have built up over the past couple of weeks is generally impressive.
If a victory against Millwall is added to their current unbeaten run at home of four games, the international break will come a time where fans will ponder whether or not they can make a run for the play-offs.
In a league where, at the moment, nine points separates fourth place and relegation, anything is truly possible in the Championship. After all, it’s no fluke that its the second most watched league in the world. after the Premier League.
Banks is one of the best goalkeepers to have played the game and even holds what is deemed 'the greatest ever save' when he denied Pele at the Mexico World Cup in 1970.
That year, Banks won the FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year award - a title which he won successively from England’s historic World Cup win in 1966 to 1971.
And although Johansson may not be winning the World Cup anytime soon, his importance to Stoke can mirror that of Banks from his 194 appearances in Staffordshire.
On a number of occasions, Johansson has saved Stoke this season, particularly in recent fixtures against Bristol City and Blackburn, and if the Potters are going to fight for a place in the Premier League, the goalkeeper will have to make a name for himself at the club alongside the attackers, who both look to be on the right path.
It’s too early in the season to determine the outcome, but if performances remain the same from Pelach’s side, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Stoke in the play-offs. It’s a completely different challenge if they reach Wembley.
