Jagielka: The club have been firm with Stones – He shouldn’t have to go through this

Everton skipper Phil Jagielka has spoken out on the John Stones transfer saga and says that it is unfair the amount of pressure and attention that has been placed on the 21 year old and says the youngster will keep doing what he does best – defending.

Jags said that he had a similar saga a number of years ago when Arsenal were bidding for his services, but he says that he just had to get on with it because the club never wanted to sell him.

“It was quite simple at the end of the day,” recalls the Everton skipper. “I just had to carry on doing what I was doing until the club decided they wanted to sell me.

“They didn’t, so it was a pretty simple saga.

“Thankfully the press and social media wasn’t quite as big five or six years ago, so I got away with it.”

“The club have been firm with John,” he says. “But it’s not ideal. For me, 21-year-olds should not be having to go through this kind of saga. It’s not fair.

“For me, the window should shut in the first week of August. Everyone has their squad and if there are any problems then you have to deal with it after Christmas.

“We should get rid of the circus and make sure all business is done before the start of the season so that all the entertainment comes from the football.”

Jags was asked if this saga is similar to the Lescott transfer saga.

“He was looking to go to a club that had spent a lot of money and would be challenging for the title,” he says.

“He’s got trophies because he went to City.

“No-one I’ve known has ever desperately wanted to leave Everton FC, though realistically there are certain clubs that can offer more opportunities.

“There is an argument over whether or not John should stay here and get another 38 Everton games under his belt but that is for others to decide.”

When asked if it was detrimental to the team as a whole and also to Stones he replied.

“That’s down to him as a person and he’s got really good friends around him here,”

“We are lucky enough to have players in the squad who are close friends with John, so he’s got guys he can speak to.

“It’s a test of his character and if he plays well in the next few games it can only put him in a better light.

“He’s showing his maturity. If he were to be a bit temperamental, spit the dummy and refuse to play that puts question marks up against your character.

“I can tell you now his character is fantastic, and he’s doing the right things to become the great centre-half we all know he can be.”

“Potentially he’s as good as I’ve seen,” he says. “His temperament’s right, his ability is right.

“He can defend, he’s got great physical attributes. He can go all the way, I wouldn’t be surprised if he became the England centre-half for the next 10 or 12 years.

“He’s still got a lot to learn but he knows it, and that’s a good thing.

“I think he’s a bit surprised by how highly people rate him, but it’s because of what he does and the potential he shows.”

Will Stonesey be at the club on September 2nd?

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