First Stoke City transfer of new era wins international call-up
Congratulations to new Stoke City keeper Viktor Johansson, who has today been named in the new Sweden squad.
The 25-year-old keeper has made an early summer switch to the bet365 Stadium from Rotherham United after head coach Steven Schumacher and new sporting director Jon Walters triggered a relegation release clause believed to be around the £1 million mark.
He received his first senior international cap in October, coming off the bench at half-time against Moldova, and has now been summoned for friendlies against Denmark and Serbia. It continues a big couple of weeks on a personal level, with his partner also ready to give birth to their first child.
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Johansson hopes that the move to Stoke will help his international ambitions and he is in a goalkeeping department alongside AIK's Kristoffer Nordfeldt and Aston Villa's Robin Olsen.
He has spoken to StokeonTrentLive this week about the challenge he is taking on at Stoke, saying: “I love a challenge. It suits me well and I can’t wait to get started. I’m itching to go and I definitely want to be part of this journey.”
Sweden missed out on qualifying for Euro 2024, finishing third in Group F behind Belgium and Austria.
New Stoke teammate Jordan Thompson has been named in the Northern Ireland squad for matches against Spain and Andorra.