Arsenal's John Stones Transfer Could Seriously Hurt Mikel Arteta's Plans

Arsenal are being heavily linked with Manchester City centre-back John Stones as a stop-gap solution to William Saliba's injury issues. The Frenchman could be out until near the end of the calendar year, and this has prompted the Gunners to scour the market for players who can replace him in the short-term.

What happened?

Ezri Konsa has been mooted as a target, although Aston Villa's 60 million valuation may prove too steep for Andrea Berta. Instead, the North Londoners could turn to Stones, who is available for free after leaving Manchester City at the end of last season.

Why it matters for John Stones

There are certainly valid arguments for Arsenal making their move on Stones. The most pertinent is that they won't have to pay a transfer fee for him, while they also won't have to spend any time negotiating with another club for his signature. It's a quick and logistically convenient deal to do, which might appeal to Berta given how extensive his to-do list is this summer.

What comes next?

He's also still clearly capable of playing at a high level. While there was some criticism of certain aspects of his performance for England at the World Cup, he was more than good enough to take the Three Lions to the last four. He may be losing some of his recovery speed, but he's still excellent in possession and would slot seamlessly into Mikel Arteta's system.

However, there are also concerns about Stones' durability. He made just 20 Premier League appearances in his final two seasons at City - nine starts and fewer than 1,000 minutes. He's never been the most durable player, failing to play over 2,000 league minutes in any season since 2016/17, his first at the Etihad.

The case against Arsenal signing John Stones

While signing Stones would be convenient, it could also be reframed as lazy. He's right there and free, but arguably more work needs to go into finding a short-term Saliba replacement. The discourse also changes when you consider this potential signing as more than just a fill-in for the Frenchman.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is expected to fulfil a midfield role permanently next season, meaning Arsenal are down to seven senior defenders. Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White, and Jurrien Timber will all need to be full-time centre-backs, meaning even with Saliba, the Gunners will only have three centre-backs at their disposal. Factoring in Saliba and Gabriel's fitness issues, and Mosquera's inexperience, and all of a sudden the need for a high-quality centre-back is pressing.

A 32-year-old injury-prone defender might not cut it. Stones' signing could be a significant problem for the Gunners, especially considering their current defensive depth.