Martinez: Chelsea and Terry are breaching tapping up rules
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has slated Chelsea captain John Terry for what he believes to be blatent tapping up in the media over the chase for John Stones.
The Catalan manager is fewmin lad over comments that have come out of London about the Barnsley born defender and feels that the club are in breach of FA rules.
John Terry recently said: “One day I won’t be in the team but Chelsea are looking to the likes of John Stones for the future, so the club will continue to grow and do well.”
Martinez hit back “That is wrong; that is illegal, the rules don’t allow you to comment on players who are registered at other clubs in that open manner. That is disappointing.”
Although the Spaniard stopped short at registering a formal complaint “We have a fantastic relationship between the two clubs. In the past we made our biggest investment in Chelsea [when signing Romelu Lukaku]. We all know there are rules and regulations and it is something we don’t want to see when other clubs speak about your players. It is wrong and it shouldn’t happen. As clubs we have a good understanding of where we are.”
The Everton manager reiterated that Stones was not for sale but with the caveat: “I am not stupid enough to say I know what will happen.” He also evaded several questions on whether Stones has expressed an interest in joining Chelsea.
“We haven’t been in that situation,” said Martínez. “The whole John Stones situation has come through the media because a club made a bid and made it public. We have never been in a situation of commenting. We have a very talented young player who really has the potential to be the best centre-half England has produced, so you are going to get that attraction. That is natural, healthy and very, very positive. But a player can make a decision when the clubs say he can make a decision. There is nothing to make a decision on. There is no negotiation. There is no relationship between the clubs in terms of trying to find a deal.”
He added: “The modern game has gone in such a way that sometimes there are things you cannot control. But what you can control is your own finances and we are not a football club that has to sell to balance the books. If you think we need to sell John Stones to balance the books, that is not the case. As a club we are brave enough to give young players a big role and we know we will have to go through situations where these players might get interest from elsewhere. But as long as we can control our finances that is not a problem.”
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