John Stones in action against Atalanta in the Champions League )
According to 90min.com (h/t The Express), Arsenal are interested in signing Manchester City defender John Stones in the summer.
John Stones, 25, has struggled to nail down his position in the Manchester City team under Pep Guardiola. Since the beginning of the 2017/18 season, the England international has made just 54 Premier League appearances.
Injuries and poor form have played a big role in limiting the defender’s playing time and 90min.com (h/t The Express) claims that Manchester City are ready to sell him this summer.
Mikel Arteta wants to link up with Stones at Arsenal, as he feels that the centre-back could enhance his current options at the Emirates Stadium (h/t The Express).
Meanwhile, the Gunners signed Pablo Mari from Flamengo and Cedric Soares from Southampton (both on loan) during the January transfer window as new boss Mikel Arteta solely focused on strengthening his defensive options. They have leaked 36 goals in 27 games so far this season, however, they have improved considerably under Arteta.
A narrow 3-2 win over Everton has put them tenth in the league standings and with consistency, Arsenal can surely end up in a higher place. However, the Gunners boss should look to strengthen the squad before the start of the new season and must make adding defenders a priority. To that end, John Stones would be a good fit at the Emirates Stadium.
A product of the Barnsley youth academy, Stones made his debut for the club as a 17-year-old in 2012. Everton signed him in January 2013 and made his debut for the Toffees against Stevenage in the League Cup second round in August 2013. In his three-year spell with Everton, the England international made 77 Premier League appearances.
But Stones has failed to live up to his £47.5 million price-tag since making the move from Everton to Manchester City in 2016. In fact, silly errors have come to define his top-level career at City. He was at fault for Aston Villa’s goal in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday. At no point, it appears as the 25-year-old has put the blunders of the early part of his career behind him.
Arsenal have had too many error-prone defenders of late and unless Stones can put behind the mistakes in his game, he could be a risky purchase.
Nevertheless, Arteta has worked with Stones at City and knows the defender’s strengths and weaknesses. At the age of 25, the English defender has the potential to improve and would get regular game time at Arsenal to reignite his career.
Stones may have not proven himself a reliable defender for City, but he has won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups under Guardiola’s tutelage. Overall, the former Barnsley man has volumes of Premier League experience, having played 182 games in his club career. He has also represented England 39 times.
Regardless of William Saliba officially joining the club from Saint-Etienne at the end of the season, Arteta should add depth to his defensive ranks in order to compete for trophies next term. And the Gunners boss must not hesitate to sign Stones from City.
