Sport
John Stones could be the perfect fit for Pep
On Tuesday, the two longest transfer sagas of the summer finally came to an end. Paul Pogba rejoined Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United on a five year, world record deal but ‘noisy neighbours’ Manchester City were busy finalising some impressive business of their own. John Stones could be the perfect fit for Pep.
Everton defender John Stones is a City player – and their fans are delighted. Why? Because he is the ideal fit for a Pep Guardiola defender. In fact, he is the perfect fit. Stones may have struggled to inspire confidence under Roberto Martinez last season but if anybody can get the most out of his vast array of skills, it is Pep. And if nothing else, Stones could finally mature into a competent sidekick alongside Vincent Kompany – something that City have been looking for.
In fact, City have spent £176.5 million on central defenders during Kompany’s time at the club; a staggering sum of money. If Pep can mould Stones, they will finally have found a capable partner to slot in alongside the City captain. Stones’ biggest strength is his ability on the ball and he will only improve further under Guardiola. The Spaniard insists on his defenders being reliable in possession; he always has done – and his philosophy won’t change in the Premier League. With Stones and Kompany at the heart of the defence, City will have two exceptionally gifted defenders.
Some will worry about his ability to regroup after his recent struggles but Pep will have Stones believing in himself again. The former Everton man isn’t the finished article by any stretch of the imagination but that gives Guardiola the opportunity to develop his skills and hone in on any issues. And if anyone can transform Stones into a top defender, it is Pep Guardiola.
City are an ambitious club and Guardiola is an ambitious manager. Stones may have struggled last season but he isn’t doomed just yet. He is still incredibly raw and he will still make mistakes but Pep will drill those individual errors out of him. On the training ground, Pep is one of the best at developing talent and the former Bayern Munich boss will view Stones as a personal project.
If he can turn Stones into a genuine world class centre-half, he will have done extremely well. The potential is there but it isn’t like the City man could walk into any Premier League club and start from day one. Pep is going to have to work hard to get the most out of Stones but his upside is colossal. Give it a couple of seasons and Guardiola could have the best centre-back in the league at his disposal – that’s how good Stones can be.
It isn’t a title winning signing but Stones fills an obvious void. City needed to do something about their central defensive issues and the England international may just be the man to make the crucial difference as the Blues look to build a dynasty era at the Etihad Stadium.
Who knows, Stones could play a key role for many years to come…
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