John Stones

[BlueToffee]

Or you can wait, play smart and wait for other targets to emerge. If the club will not accept the money the club believes he is worth then move on, go for a short term replacement if necessary. Wait for the right moments. If clubs continue to pay and give up to silly demands then this mess will only get worse.

Fully agree on the last bit, but unfortunately I don't think that will happen. When Watford are rejecting £25mill for Troy Deeny, Burnley are rejecting £15mill for Keane you know the market is crazy but there's so much money flying around in England even the poorer/lower clubs can refuse big bids. You will end up paying us £50 mill for Stones and we will end up paying Napoli around £40 for Koulibaly - Napoli in turn will end up getting a quality replacement for a fraction of the price and the cycle goes on.

 

[bluesince76]

But we are not trying to sell our house, we'd rather keep it as we love it. However if a very good offer come along we would reluctantly accept.

That's why I don't get the 'take it or leave it' stance. I think Everton will happily leave it as we would love Stones to stay and learn from one of the best ball playing CB's there was. However, anyone could see why he would want the chance to work with Guardiola, but only if a deal suits us, not City or Stones.

How many times does he have to say he wants to leave before you get the message though? Last season, he looked like a £500k player, not a £50m one. The worst mistake we made was not showing Yaya the exit door when he started agitating for a move. Quality player, but we've played with 10 men for most of the last 2 seasons and it's cost us.

The power is with the players and it's really not worth pretending otherwise anymore. Once a player says they want out, get the best price you can but look forwards for a replacement. Pretending Stones is a key part of your plans for next season won't help you, regardless of us. And if he stays, are you convinced he'll be the true professional regardless? I wouldn't trust any player any more

 

[BlueToffee]

Without a murmur?.... I doubt that somehow

We may not like it and agree with the valuation, but if that's their valuation and they wont budge (by all accounts their president won't) then if we really want him we have to pay it. If we don't want him enough to pay the quoted fee then we need to find someone else.

I thought £28mill at the time for Lukaku was way too high but we really wanted him so had to pay it as Chelsea had no reason to sell and West Ham's interest bumped the price right up.

 

[GeorgeHeslop'sTackle.]

Or you can wait, play smart and wait for other targets to emerge. If the club will not accept the money the club believes he is worth then move on, go for a short term replacement if necessary. Wait for the right moments. If clubs continue to pay and give up to silly demands then this mess will only get worse. Don't get me wrong some players are worth big money, these players are special players. Stones isn't in this bracket, he's just a kid who's had one decent season and somebody who for a 'defender' doesn't defend very well. If all City want is a centre back that can pass a ball out the back but can't really defend all that well then they should just convert and save themselves 50 million.

This, all day long. I still believe that, given the right guidence & coaching, Mangala has all the atributes needed to be top class.

 

[skiddypants]

I really do think in this crazy price window he is worth 45m with 5 in adds!

 

[Damien10]

Fully agree on the last bit, but unfortunately I don't think that will happen. When Watford are rejecting £25mill for Troy Deeny, Burnley are rejecting £15mill for Keane you know the market is crazy but there's so much money flying around in England even the poorer/lower clubs can refuse big bids. You will end up paying us £50 mill for Stones and we will end up paying Napoli around £40 for Koulibaly - Napoli in turn will end up getting a quality replacement for a fraction of the price and the cycle goes on.

Then stop the cycle. If Napoli will get a 'quality replacement for a quarter then why can't you. Napoli will no doubt utilize the scouting network and grab a player before he becomes 'well known' they will give a great talent the chance to make a name for himself, and if he comes and succeeds they await for the stupid offers to come in (sometimes warranted, if the player is really special) clubs now have lost patience and they would rather pay big money for a kid whos had one decent season and a player some of the nation know instead of giving somebody with great potential the chance to make a name for himself.

 

[daztrueblue91]

Fully agree on the last bit, but unfortunately I don't think that will happen. When Watford are rejecting £25mill for Troy Deeny, Burnley are rejecting £15mill for Keane you know the market is crazy but there's so much money flying around in England even the poorer/lower clubs can refuse big bids. You will end up paying us £50 mill for Stones and we will end up paying Napoli around £40 for Koulibaly - Napoli in turn will end up getting a quality replacement for a fraction of the price and the cycle goes on.

I agree with this and I think it's why you will see a huge increase in clubs giving academy players a chance, buying young potential and players letting their contracts run down.

I can also see a rise in agents demanding release clauses in contracts so the likes of Stones don't get stuck at a club against his will.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

Everything we've done since the takeover has been building up to Pep being our manager. As much as I'd like us to walk away from deals where teams are clearly ripping us off, you don't want to bring a manager like that in and then not do everything you can to get him the players he wants.

 

[Dribble]

Understand it may only be 1 or 2 fans - all clubs have them fans when its their team signing a player, us included but they are the first to fume when the shoe is on the other foot.

Yes the Barnsley cut is complicating matters as I think we want around £38-40mill after paying Barnsley. As it stands we would be left with £34mill which for a player of his calibre and potential is way too low and a qiality replacement in todays market would see that swallowed up. Our bid for Koulibaly is around £40 mill which is outrageous but Napoli know that they can put that price on his head as we (along with Chelsea) want him and PL clubs are awash with money, so your not the only club being forced to overpay.

He submitted a request last year and it got refused. He hasn't resubmitted one yet. I think he knows the move will eventually go through do he's just biding his time but im dure he's fully aware of what you need to cough up as I cant see us budging.

What's your thought of Stones as a player, do you think he's worth the £50m Everton are asking?

Do you think his supposed 'mediocre' last season was the after effects of not getting his move to Chelsea or because Martinez was clueless where defending is concerned?

 

[FantasyIreland]

I meant last season

That was down to a manager who had even less of a clue than the one we employed.