Who should Pep Guardiola sign to improve Manchester City’s unstable defence?

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John Stones

John Stones is a name that anyone with an interest in Premier League football will know. The 22-year-old Everton and England international has been one of the hottest defensive prospects since his helping Everton to Europa League qualification in 2013/14. Every big club with money to spend in the country has been rumoured to be chasing his signature over the last three transfer windows, but Everton have held firm in spite of offers reaching £30m from Chelsea.

Stones fits the archetype of a Guardiola defender to the letter. He’s drawn comparisons to Chelsea’s John Terry in recent times; calm and collected in possession, comfortable using both feet and has a good range of passing in his locker. Stones also completed an average of 40.61 passes in the league last season, the most of any current Everton or Manchester City player, indicating another possible creative outlet for Guardiola to utilise.

Everton’s woeful defence in the past season would crucify any centre back on the stats front, and Stones is no different. Roberto Martinez’s tactics left his backline horribly exposed, unprotected on the defence and isolated when hit on the break. Despite this, the England international still managed the most blocks out per game out of Everton’s centre-backs but fell short of Phil Jagielka on interceptions and clearances by almost half. The promising Stones would surely thrive under a manager with a clear system for their defence, and would also contribute to City’s struggling “home grown players” count.