Manchester City have found the ball playing center-half that Pep Guardiola has been wanting, with the announcement that they have signed Everton’s John Stones for £47.5 million.
Stones becomes the eighth new player signed by City this summer following the arrivals of of Ilkay Gundogan, Nolito, Aleksandar Zinchenko, Aaron Mooy, Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus and Marlos Moreno.
It’s an interesting signing by City. Two seasons ago Stones was brilliant, but his long drawn out transfer saga with Chelsea obviously impacted him as he had a really poor season. Now that he has gotten the move to a big club that he wanted, will he be able to regain that form he previously had?
The 22-year old England defender told ManCity.com:
‘I’m absolutely delighted to sign for City and now the deal’s done I’m looking forward to the next stage in my career.
‘I’ve obviously seen what’s going on here at the Etihad, it’s an ambitious club with a great manager so I can’t wait to get stuck in and help achieve the goals.
‘I had a wonderful time with Everton and wish them and their fans all the best but now I’ll give my all for City.’
Speaking of the move, Stones added: ‘I’m shocked, speechless. It’s been a long day but I can’t really describe how I’m feeling at the moment. It’s a bit of mixed emotions and there were a lot of people to tell but it’s just excitement at the moment. I just can’t wait to get going.
‘It was the manager, the team,’ Stones said was the reason for joining. ‘When I played City I knew they were a good team and I spoke to a lot of the guys that were here like Joe and they wanted me to come. I expressed my feelings that I wanted to come and I want to help the team win trophies.’
Manager Pep Guardiola, who has been aware of the defender for over a year and watched Chelsea’s pursuit of Stones with interest, said:
‘We want to help John show his quality with us and improve on what he has already achieved.
‘I like the way he plays the game and I’m looking forward to welcoming him into the squad.’
Director of football, Txiki Begiristain, added:
‘John is an excellent young English defender and we are all really pleased he is joining us. We have worked hard to bring him to City and we feel we are signing one of the best central defenders in Europe.’
Stones said of Guardiola:
‘I think it’s 110 per cent the right decision to play under him. I can’t wait to train with the best and improve day in day out. He’s a winner and that’s what’s going to rub off on everyone.’
