Mark Robins’ key guy is a £30 million transfer error that Stoke City cannot afford to do again.

Viktor Johansson is one of the best goalkeepers in the Championship right now,

and although everyone associated with Stoke City will want to keep him in the Potteries this summer,

they must sell him if the right price is offered in order to prevent a recurrence of the Jack Butland situation from years ago.

Johansson, Sweden’s first-choice goalie, joined Stoke from Rotherham United last summer for a reported

£750,000 initial fee, with possible add-ons pushing it over the £1 million mark.

They defeated fierce competition to acquire him shortly after the 2023–24 season concluded.

Despite real relegation fears, he has been able to constantly save his team from dire situations

this season because to his outstanding performances since moving to the bet365 Stadium.

When the summer transfer market opens, he will undoubtedly be on the radar of several teams in higher places.

The Potters’ current predicament is reminiscent of what they went through when Jack

Butland was a young England international who was expected to be one of the finest goalkeepers

in the Premier League in the future. From 2015 to 2017, Butland made an impression for

Stoke as a young player, but the team chose not to sell him while he was playing in the top division.