Glen Johnson was announced as Stoke City’s sixth signing of the summer transfer window earlier this month, penning a two-year deal with the Staffordshire club. The Potters became renowned for a tough-tackling, long-ball brand of football under the stewardship of Tony Pulis, but Johnson believes Mark Hughes’ era has beckoned in a more attractive style that meshes well with his own marauding full-back play.
“This is the right choice. I wanted to stay in the Premier League because it’s the best out there, to be closer to the family. I met Mark Hughes just over a week ago now and I was obviously impressed with what he had to say. I think it’s a club moving in the right direction and I want to be a part of it. Everyone knows Stoke used to have a reputation for long balls, long throw-ins but since Mark came in and even before they were evolving and becoming a real footballing team. Hopefully I can help that continue. People have seen me play for years; I don’t like to belt it forward. I like to play football and from what Mark said to me he wants to do the same. It should suit us both. It appears to be a perfect fit for each other.”
The History
At the age of 15, Johnson joined West Ham United’s youth system, signing a professional contract the following summer. In the 2001/02 campaign, he made the step up to the reserve squad yet was unable to make a breakthrough to the senior side. Johnson spent three months on loan to Millwall midway through the 2002/03 season, before returning to the Boleyn Ground in January and forging a path into the starting line-up. After impressing in his debut against Charlton, the Greenwich local went on to start in the Hammers’ 14 remaining league fixtures.
Alerted by the youngster’s starring displays for the Irons, Chelsea snapped up Johnson for £6 million in the summer of 2003 – making him the first acquisition under Roman Abramovich’s ownership. Johnson played second fiddle to Mario Melchiot in his first year with the Blues, while Paulo Ferreira claimed the bulk of the right-back duty in his second season. He tallied just four appearances in the 2005/06 campaign, with Ferreira, William Gallas, Geremi and even Michael Essien favoured at right-back. Johnson subsequently embarked on a season-long loan spell to Portsmouth in June 2006, before permanently signing with the south coast club the following summer.
Johnson cemented the right-back berth at Fratton Park, chalking up four goals and eight assists in 84 league outings. He was an integral member of the team that triumphed in the 2008 FA Cup final, recording a 1-0 win over Cardiff City. In appreciation of Johnson’s commanding performances in his final season for Pompey, the England international was named in the 2008/09 PFA Team of the Year. Liverpool lodged a bid shortly after, bringing him to Merseyside in June 2009.
The defender missed eight matches due to a twisted knee in his debut campaign with the Reds but still showcased his attacking prowess with three goals and five assists across 25 appearances. Over the next five seasons, Johnson notched five goals and 10 assists in 135 outings.
Handed his debut senior cap for England in November 2003, Johnson didn’t become a regular in the Three Lions’ set-up until Fabio Capello’s appointment in 2008. To date, Johnson has notched one goal for England in 54 appearances, with his last start arriving in the 2014 World Cup group stages against Uruguay.
The Prospects
Although Johnson made 15 starts for the Reds last term, the summer purchase of Nathaniel Clyne signalled the end of his Anfield career. His arrival at the Britannia could well earn him a regular role for Hughes’ outfit, though, and places question marks over the pitch time of both Geoff Cameron – who started eight of the Potters’ final nine league ties last season – and Phil Bardsley for the season ahead.
Another line of thought suggests that Johnson’s arrival could free up the versatile Cameron to operate in the double-pivot. The USA international started six times in a defensive midfield berth last season, though new loan arrival Marco van Ginkel is already making a strong case as the replacement for the now-departed Steven NZonzi.
Handed the right-back berth on his debut at the weekend, Johnson is frustratingly priced at 5.0 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game – dearer than both Cameron and Bardsley, at 4.5 apiece. Priced in line with regular starters Erik Pieters and Ryan Shawcross, Johnson has managed just one goal and three assists in his past 48 league appearances – the underlying stats (eight attempts and five key passes in 1,411 minutes in 2014/15) highlight just why he’s failed to shine. Couple this with the threat of rotation and poor injury record that saw Johnson miss ten matches in the previous campaign with hamstring and groin injuries, and the case for his inclusion in our Fantasy plans diminishes.
Given that new number one Jack Butland is just 4.5, there are cheaper options available in the Stoke rearguard. Ultimately, though, the Potters’ defence isn’t quite as profitable as it once was during Pulis’ tenure. Although Hughes’ greater emphasis on possession lends itself to a more aesthetic style of football, his two seasons in charge at the Britannia have both harvested just nine clean sheets; in comparison, Pulis’ final term at the helm produced 12 shut-outs.
Furthermore, the fixtures are hardly in Johnson’s favour. With an unforgiving start to the new campaign that includes a visit from Liverpool and trips to both north London clubs by Gameweek 5, any initial investment seems unwise. The schedule does change significantly for the better in Gameweek 6, however, and if Johnson can cement a starting berth and steer clear of injury, his raids down the right may yet prove fruitful. With the changes to the BPS scoring, though, Butland and Shawcross look the likeliest candidates amongst Hughes’ defensive regulars for the season ahead.
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