This is my thinking. I'd like to see him get one last chance this back half of the season with a run of games alongside Laporte. If we still don't think he's the long-term solution, try selling to Arsenal in the summer for £30m-£35m along with selling Otamendi. Head into next season with Laporte, new CB, Fernandinho, Garcia, and THB.
He was the best defender on the park against us mate and just because he`s an ex Rag means nothing to me.A good investment for that sort of money. ;) He`s still better than Stones.
Who would you say is of the same quality as stones, but much cheaper (and also english/homegrown, and approaching their prime years)?
genuine question btw, rather than point-making bickering.
Imagine going into a season with a fresh from long term injury laporte, new cb with no prem experience, 36 yo fernandinho and 2 teenagers (though good and with potential). That would be worse than what we started this season with and the main reason we have fallen behind.
Ota goes for sure in summer and is replaced, if stones goes, he too is replaced and Id still get another to allow fernandinho back forward (and limit his games)
The very fact that Arteta with all of his inside knowledge thinks there's a realistic enough chance to ask suggests that he's a player we're willing to let go. We'd be insane to get rid of another CB in the middle of a season that has been ruined by us not having enough fit CBs though.
The buying club doesn't have to have as big of a need for homegrown players as we do. Depending on who it is they could have plenty more spaces for foreign players and buy their CB from abroad at a fraction of the price. It's all hypothetical.
It is indeed entirely hypothetical. Doesnt answer my question. Doesn't matter if they (hypothetical buying club) do or don't need homegrown players, it is still a quality that has a price. You claimed there are a number of players as good as stones but much cheaper. Honestly curious who you think they are. Need to be homegrown and of a similar age/experience.
I'm not saying those players are as good as him or twice as good in Maguire's case. I'm saying that clubs know we have fuck loads of cash and thus always lowball us on a fee. If we were talking one of the young forwards or midfielders or Laporte or Ederson then yeah they would command huge fees but teams know that they can get an option not far off from Stones' quality for much cheaper than you're suggesting we would get. Those clubs also rely on those players much more than we rely on Stones. Selling one of them could result in them going down. Realistically, knowing we'd be bringing in a replacement, how much worse off are we without Stones?
My exact words, emphasis in bold:
That's talking about the £70m-£80m you suggested. Considering only two defenders have ever been sold for that much, I don't think it's that unreasonable.
Maybe Arteta knows something that we don’t. I can’t imagine that we’d countenance him leaving unless we were planning on bringing someone in. Arteta surely knows this.
I really wanted Stones to succeed. I still want him to succeed. But, aside from a few strong periods lasting no more than a few weeks, he hasn’t lived up to expectations and it might be time to move on. I wouldn’t be opposed to a 6 month loan move, with a view to selling in the summer, providing that we have a competent replacement lined up.