Liverpool FC legend Jamie Carragher has advised Everton centre-back John Stones to stay put at the Merseyside club and ignore speculation linking him with moves to Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City
John Stones is a target for Chelsea FC, with Everton manager . Roberto Martinez and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho involved in a very public war of words regarding the centre-back.
Chelsea’s defense seemed less than convincing in the opening day draw with Swansea, with the Welsh club’s attackers easily getting in behind the ageing centre-back pairing of John Terry and Gary Cahill.
Carragher advises Stones to stay put
Urging him to stay at Everton so as to continue his development, Carragher wrote in his Daily Mail column:
“It has been a summer to make John Stones’ head spin: two rejected bids for his services from Chelsea, Manchester City watching developments and advice that Manchester United is the best place for him to play football.
“With so many people talking about his situation, it could not have failed to get to him. He should ignore the noise, though, and stay right where is.
“The best place for him for the next two years is Goodison Park, working with Martinez. Why? For starters, it is the style of play Martinez implements.
“Stones is a great reader of the game, composed in possession and starts attacks from the back. Martinez will encourage him to develop those skills.
“There will be mistakes along the way, playing in that fashion, but Martinez would be more tolerant of them.
“I wouldn’t expect that to be the case with Jose Mourinho, who doesn’t accept mistakes or learning on the job from those in his team.
“Will Stones play every week at Chelsea? No. He would have more of a chance at City or United but even then there would be no guarantee.”
Is Carragher right in advising Stones to stay?
Since signing from Barnsley in Martinez’s first season in charge as a 19 year old, Stones has gone on to start 35 games for Everton as a right-back and a centre-back.
The exposure to top flight football at such a young age at a stable side like Everton has enabled Stones to maximize his talents and hone his skills.
While Carragher reckons that Stones might not play regularly at Chelsea, which might not be the case should Cahill and Terry continue to defend so poorly as they did against Swansea, his chances to play at City or Manchester United will be much higher given the lack of quality central defenders in the side.
Mangala has struggled at City, as have Smalling and Jones to an extent. But, the pressure of playing at a top club may or may not affect Stones’ development.
You can get away with defensive mistakes – with all due respect – at Everton, with more focus falling on the better side of the defending. The same cannot be said about playing at the top 5 clubs in the Premier League.