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Potters' preparations 'a joy'

Potters' preparations 'a joy'

BBC News3 days ago
With less than than two weeks to go, Stoke City's preparations for the new Championship season are a "joy to be part of", says goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.The Sweden international has been getting to know the club's new arrivals this summer and says the six recruits - strikers Robert Bozenik and Divin Mubama, winger Sorba Thomas and defenders Aaron Cresswell, Ashley Phillips and Maksym Talovierov - have settled in well."The new boys have fitted right in and it's got that family feel - it's a joy to come in every day," Johansson told BBC Radio Stoke."You can see the new connections starting to feel and it's a nice feeling. "Of course it takes a bit of time but it's what you do. You speak about things - 'what do I think', 'what do I do?' - this group want to know everyone's story and when you get to know a person you can speak about everything."We've got to that stage where, if I need to say something, I can say it to anyone and I think that's what you want as a football club - that openness."Having drawn 1-1 with Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers in a friendly at the weekend, Stoke take on another top-flight opponent, Burnley, in their final warm-up match on Saturday. Johansson says he is starting to "see glimpses" of the things they have been working on with boss Mark Robins in their play as they start to focus on their opening game of the new season, at home to Derby County on 9 August."It's a great squad and one of the best changing rooms I've been in," he said. "Everybody wants the same thing."
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