Arsenal shouldn’t rely on John Stones being their defensive saviour

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Arsenal could be lining up a move for Man City defender, John Stones, but Mikel Arteta needs to seriously weigh up whether Stones is the ideal man for the job.

The Gunners are reportedly weighing up a move for the 25-year-old. Arteta is said to be keen on reuniting with Stones after working with him at Man City in the last few seasons.

After conceding 36 goals this season, the Gunners boss is desperate to tighten up his defence. The likes of David Luiz are into their 30s now while new signing, Pablo Mari, is still finding his feet.

A move, then, for Stones might seem the logical thing for Arsenal to do. He is, after all, a Premier League winner and a regular with England.

However, as we have seen before, Stones is not the finished article. He is encouraged to play out from the back by Pep Guardiola and has made a number of mistakes.

Indeed, he has made seven mistakes directly leading to goals, including three in one season for City during the 16/17 campaign. This, for a top-level central defender, is simply not good enough.

Needs to cut the errors out

Arsenal have been crying out for a defensive leader for a number of years now. They’ve struggled to really nail down a brilliant central defender ever since the days of Sol Campbell passed them by.

Signing Stones, though, remains a risk. Even just last weekend the Man City man was at fault. Stones’ defensive howler allowing Aston Villa back into the League Cup final.

Against better opposition that could well have cost City some silverware. Arsenal, then, needs to consider if the 25-year-old really is the man to shore up their backline.

At the international level, too, Stones has made mistakes. He gifted Holland a goal last summer with a sequence of play that was branded ‘stupid’ by Jamie Carragher.

Arsenal have some thinking to do when it comes to John Stones. There’s no doubt he can be a top player but after years of defensive struggles, they have to get their next move right.