Manchester City defender John Stones is being linked with a move away from the club this month with former coach Mikel Arteta said to be keen on a reunion with the England international at Arsenal.
The report in the Sun claims the 25-year-old is wanting of regular first-team football in order to boost his Euro 2020 hopes.
Stones played an important role in the club’s recent back-to-back Premier League title wins but has since suffered a number of injuries and a dramatic dip in form.
Given how short Pep Guardiola’s side currently are in the centre-back position, how have the City supporters reacted to the reports?
Should Man City allow John Stones to leave this month?
Yes
No
Take him I don’t even care
— Bes (@crybabybes) January 13, 2020
I knew Arteta was our savior. TAKE HIM! TAKE HIIIIMM FOR FREEEE!!!
— Call of Booty (@Yoh_Seph) January 14, 2020
Sell him pls before they change their mind ???
— ‘deji (@bobskino) January 13, 2020
Please come and carry him even if it’s for free,we will gladly offer him to you . ?
— Iam_Stanleyfisher (@stanuc4life) January 14, 2020
Should be sold tbh
— Ammar Khan (@ammar_khan74) January 13, 2020
bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
— ?? (@IceColdRaheem7) January 14, 2020
What do we think?
Allowing a centre-back to leave mid-season would be a strange decision, particularly given how short City find themselves in that area of the pitch. Eric Garcia and Taylor Harwood-Bellis have shown signs of promise but relying on either of the two for the remainder of the season feels like a huge and unnecessary risk for Guardiola to take.
Man City signed Stones from Everton in 2016 for £47.5m and although he’s played a significant role in the club’s recent success, the general consensus is that he’s not progressed at the rate many would have hoped.
The fact that Guardiola has preferred to use Fernandinho, a midfielder by trade at centre-back rather than pair Stones with Nicolas Otamendi tells a story about how the boss feels regarding the pair and their futures at the Etihad.
Stones has played 123 times for City to date and may wish to move on in search of first-team football now that he’s seemingly fallen out of favour – however, a January move seems unlikely.