da pinup bet： John Stones is being lauded as potentially one the best defenders in England for a long time.
da heads bet： The trouble with forecasting someone’s potential is that they do not always achieve the heights expected of them, and they often fade away.
With Stones, the 22-year-old has time on his side and needs to find the right club, with the right coaching staff and support if he decides that now is the time to leave Ronald Koeman’s Everton.
There’s no doubt that Stones could learn a lot with the Dutchman, who was himself a superb ball playing defender with a mass of honours to his name.
Stones also likes to play the ball out of defence, but needs to remember to defend first and has just had a rough season under Roberto Martinez, where many have commented negatively on the young players form.
If the England man does leave Goodison Park, here are four teams who could potentially take him this summer…
Manchester City
Guardiola is said to be winning the race to sign Stones and is thought to be a big admirer of the young defender.
The Sun on Sunday claim City boss Pep Guardiola reckons Stones will choose to join him at the Etihad instead of moving to either Manchester United or Chelsea, who are both reportedly interested in the England centre-back.
Stones is seen as a vital part of City’s future under Guardiola, with veteran Martin Demichelis, 35, leaving and the club short on centre-backs.
City skipper Vincent Kompany struggled with injuries all last season and there are doubts over Eliaquim Mangala’s form. Otamendi’s future is also in doubt and Pep is believed to want to build a defence around Stones.
Manchester United
Jose Mourinho made four bids in an attempt to lure Stones to Stamford Bridge last year.
Mourinho saw Chelsea fail with bids of £20m, £26m, £30m and, finally, £37m before accepting the fact Everton would not sell.
Everton are unlikely to be able to hold on to Stones for a second summer and United would have no problem matching his £40m+ valuation, but Mourinho faces stiff competition and may miss out.
The shaky United defence needs to be restructured and Stones is the key to Jose’s defensive line-up for next season.
Barcelona
The Spanish champions have reportedly revived their interest in the England international after being told main target Marquinhos is staying at Paris Saint-Germain.
Everton value Stones at anywhere between £40million and £54million, and the Catalan giants are likely to open with an offer of around £25m for the coveted centre-half.
Moving to Spain at such an early stage of his career would be a huge decision, but may well be attractive.
Stones would not come under the same sort of pressure to clear his lines and revert to long balls out of defence in La Liga, and could benefit from playing in a team that wins virtually every week.
Chelsea
Who better to learn about being a defender than from an Italian?
It is extremely unlikely that Stones will come to Stamford Bridge, but Conte does admire the youngster and alongside the prospect of Leonardo Bonucci joining from Juventus, Stones would learn, adapt and become the player most people think he can be.
Chelsea’s interest in Stones has not been deterred by Everton’s poor season in which the player suffered, but the Blues cannot offer European football and are unlikely to have the spending power of City or United.