Everton are bracing themselves for a tug-of-war for their central defender and rising star, John Stones. The 21-year-old English defender was one of the high points in Everton’s season last time around, even though they struggled with defensive issues.
Stones though grew from strength to strength despite a faltering start to last season. Manchester United and Chelsea have been slugging it out for the defender, with both having seen their bids being rebuffed by Everton. However, they are certain to come back for the highly rated defender as both clubs try to solidify their defence.
With a lot of money being touted, we look at which club would be ideal for the young English defender as he hopes to grow and get better.
Blue or Red: A tough choice to make
Both Chelsea and United need to have some defenders into their team, they are certainly lightweight in that department. United though are in desperate need of a decent central defender as Jonny Evans could be on his way out and used as a weight to make this deal take place. Louis Van Gaal has been searching for a good defender to come into his team and the young John Stones could be the ideal candidate for that.
Similarly, Chelsea also need to bring in someone who can, in the future take up the John Terry mantle. Stones might be a little early in his career to be considered as a Terry replacement but we have seen crazier things happen. Stones does have ability and age on his side and he could turn out better than most defenders from the current batch of Premier League players.
The only way Stones can actually grow would be if he gets to play regularly for a club. The best bet for that to happen is if he stays at Everton for a couple of seasons more. Moving to Chelsea would stagnate his career as he would be playing more in the reserves or be a bench player at the most. Manchester United do provide some ray of hope for the English defender as they could give him more chances if he does impress Louis Van Gaal.
Stones though should remain at Everton for a few more years, his development certainly would be better at the Merseyside club rather than at Chelsea. Manchester United could be the ideal club for him, if he was to leave Everton, simply because he would have greater chances of playing in central defence than at Chelsea.
All in all, the 21-year-old defender does have a big decision to make about his career. We have seen time and time again how a young player, when signing for a bigger club ends up failing to deliver and wasting his time more on the bench, then on loan and then never getting back to what he could have been. Stones needs to think straight before making a decision and Everton need to be sure they don’t lose out on such a gifted individual for some money.
Comments are closed.