In the past few days the transfer speculation of John Stones has finally been put to bed. A club statement from the chairman Bill Kenwright as well manager Roberto Martinez standing strong, you would think that should be the end of it.
That is only half of the battle though. With immense pressure on his shoulders John Stones’ head will be well and truly all over the place. It would have an effect on any 21-year-old in the game but it is imperative for the impressive centre-back to get back to the job at hand and don’t let it influence his performances. Blues have seen that before with Lescott.
There is no doubting that the talk had unfortunately unsettled the lad, his showing at Barnsley on Wednesday night almost confirmed that. The ball playing centre-half would often bring the ball out of defence in attempt to get the attack going but at times Stones looked uncomfortable on the ball, which is not like him at all. Barnsley’s first goal could also have been prevented if John didn’t jump over the ball, although Joel could also have been at fault.
After the match it was reported that after a routine service station break for the Everton squad the Englishman was confronted by fans before breaking into tears at the sheer pressure of it all. The fragile young man was then protected by Steven Naismith who explained that the boy was not allowed to speak publicly about his situation.
Now, with a large amount of triple-A encounters such as Chelsea and Liverpool on the horizon we can ill-afford our prized possession to be at 50%, 70% or even 99%. We need him fully focussed and motivated to take this club back into Europe.
Its easier said than done unfortunately but due to the friendly atmosphere in the dressing room, typical of an Everton squad, this should be no problem and the players will certainly look after him. The main concern is the small minority of fans who insist on belittling the youngster, shouting abuse at him and making his stay here as unpleasant as possible. That’s not how you treat a lad who has given 110% to this club from day one, regardless if he wants a move or not.
Of course there are conspiracies that the club are forcing him out, they only want the money but both the board and the manager would not speak so strongly of their desire to keep the player here if they were just forcing his price up. Martinez has stated publicly from day one that his player was not for sale and on Friday night fired some shots of his own back at Chelsea.
“It’s no good thinking that because you have a Champions League budget you can click your fingers & get anything you want.” said the Everton manager.
This came with many fans praising his strength and resilience, something that this historical club stands for. We may not have the budget but you can bet your bottom dollar we won’t role over without a fight. Something that simply needs to be matched by the board and has duly done so with Kenwright’s statement, lets just hope he stays true to his word.
If anyone is to make sure John is back to his best it is Martinez. The Catalonian has been known for his trust in young players, encouraging them to play without fear and throwing them in the deep end. Ross Barkley benefitted from that same treatment in Roberto’s debut season. The gaffer will be telling John to forget about everything that has gone on and play with his heart on his sleeve.
As stated earlier, the battle may have been won but the war is still not over. Chelsea could potentially come knocking again in January or other admirers may step up to the negotiating table come next summer. What we know for now though is that John Stones is an Everton player. We should back him as we do every player, and in return maybe the lad will see the light. Only time will tell.
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