The tug of war between Manchester United and Chelsea is set to resume over the signing of John Stones. Everton’s highly-rated centre-back has been linked with a move away from the club, although Roberto Martinez, the Everton manager is adamant the English defender is not for sale. Sources have quoted a bid of £20 million was rejected by Everton and they both the clubs are to come up with higher bids in the coming days.
Chelsea seem to set to sign the youngster and if they continue in their bidding, Everton will relent, sooner or later. We look at three reasons why Chelsea should sign Stones, in this transfer window.
John Terry’s replacement
Kurt Zouma might have impressed a lot of people during the final third of the season, but he still is prone to the odd mistake or two. John Terry would be retiring in a few years and Chelsea need someone to step up in his absence, Zouma could be the ideal replacement but there should always be a plan B. Stones could be an amazing player in the near future and being English, he could be at the club for a long time. He does have a few Terry-esque abilities in him but needs to polish them to be considered anywhere close to the Chelsea legend. He still has time to grow and playing under Jose Mourinho could be the best way for his career to progress.
No fresh faces
It isn’t like Chelsea to not sign players or track a lot of players in a transfer window. Apart from signing Falcao on loan and Begovic from Stoke City, the Champions have been extremely quiet in the window. We all know that if a team does not strengthen in the off-season, they do struggle and that could happen with Chelsea. The Blues have a lot of quality already in the squad but a few fresh faces, especially one who is so highly rated could work out for the best in their quest to retain their Premier League title.
An English prospect
Chelsea don’t really have a lot of top English prospects from their defence. A 21-year-old defender in the shape of Stones will provide them cover for a long time. John Stones might not come cheap for Chelsea but being an English player, his price will be inflated in today’s transfer market. That should not stop Chelsea in going for him, he is one of the best young defenders in the league and signing him would make a great addition to the team.