It’s time for Everton to cash in on selling John Stones to either Chelsea or Manchester United
Hardly a day goes by without an English tabloid running a story or rumor of how either Chelsea or Manchester United are making a massive bid for Everton centre back John Stones. While Everton has been adamant that their English starlet isn’t for sale, it’s time for them to reconsider that stance.
The latest report on Stones in The Daily Star claims Manchester United is willing to offer 45 million pounds for the defender. I think that’s a nice starting point for negotiations but Everton shouldn’t consider selling at that price.
Instead, they should encourage a bidding war between Manchester United, Chelsea and any other big club that might have an interest in Stones. Perhaps Real Madrid and Barcelona can be pulled into the negotiations as well.
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I believe they might be able to get somewhere around 75 million pounds for Stones. With all due respect to Stones, he’s just not accomplished enough to garner that kind of fee. He may ultimately become that sort of player, but he isn’t there yet.
The player he is right now is an above average Premier League defender. His Whoscored.com player rating of 6.99 is very good, but is not great. While a certain premium can absolutely be attached to his potential improvement, it’s an inflated figure at the moment. To pay anything north of 50 million pounds for Stones is betting that he’ll become one of the best defenders in the world.
I think that’s a distinct possibility, but it’s far from a certainty. That’s why Everton should look to sell Stones now if they can find a club to bid on him as if he’s already become one of the top two or three defenders in the world.
If you believe the reports, Chelsea and Manchester United are already prepared to make an offer in the 50 million pound range. They’ve been willing to do this without any encouragement from the Toffees. Imagine the price they might be willing to pay if they know he’s actually available.
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I’m advocating a complete reversal of Everton’s stance on the player. The company line that he’s not for sale at any price has served them well so far. It’s kept the player settled at the club and it’s built up more buzz of his abilities in the football world.
Now is the time to change the narrative entirely. Roberto Martinez should tell the world that Stones is available if they receive a significant enough bid. This would be huge news and might lead to suitors they didn’t even understand were interested in Stones. At the very least, it will cause United and Chelsea to engage in a bidding war with one another.
Both Premier League titans need some good news to deliver their fans at the moment. Chelsea’s season has been a well-documented mess and United fans are nearly fed up with the Louis van Gaal era. Both clubs would see a successful transfer capture of John Stones as a way to placate their fans.
Everton can use their desperation to their advantage. They can pit the Premier League rivals against one another and watch their bids’ for Stones go sky-high. It’s the perfect time for the Toffees to take advantage of their league counterparts.
It must be acknowledged that selling a player like Stones in January would be extremely hard on Everton. However, this isn’t a season where they are likely to achieve anything memorable. They currently sit in 11th place in the Premier League table so the best they can realistically hope for is Europa League qualification. That won’t be enough to really excite their fan base.
Even if they sell Stones, Europa League qualification is still in play. Even if his sale causes the wheels to come off at Merseyside it’s not as if they’re going to be relegated. It’s a relative no-risk proposition in terms of what this season could yield for the Toffees.
Obviously, you could take the massive fee and reinvest it in the club over the summer. A bid in the neighborhood of 75 million pounds would give Martinez quite a bit of latitude to bring in the players he wants for next season.
Perhaps more importantly, an infusion of cash like that might also allow Everton to hold on to some of their other stars. If you are an Everton fan, you’d surely sacrifice John Stones if it meant you could hang on to Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley long-term. Selling one defender to hold on to a world-class striker and excellent midfielder is always good business.
Everton fans should realize that selling John Stones to Manchester United or Chelsea doesn’t somehow make them a “selling” club. What it would make them is a shrewd club. They have a unique opportunity to make their Premier League rivals pay through the nose for one of their players. This is a move that could set up the Toffees for success for years to come.