Frank Lampard’s first season as Chelsea manager concluded on with a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
There is no shame in losing to the reigning Bundesliga champions, but it once again highlighted how frail the team’s backline is, an issue he will be desperate to rectify this summer.
The Blues have been linked with a string of high-profile goalkeepers, but when it comes to centre-backs names have been few and far between.
The latest to emerge is Manchester City’s John Stones, and the suggestion he could be moving to west London has produced a polarising response.
If the question is: How do I improve my defence? Is John Stones really the answer?
There are certainly Manchester City fans that would say no. Stones first emerged at Barnsley before flourishing at Goodison Park during Roberto Martinez’s time in charge.
It was then that Chelsea first showed their interest in the defender, but Martinez was adamant he was not for sale.
He would eventually join City in August 2016 for an initial £47.5million, plus £2.5 million in add-ons. The deal made Stones the second-most expensive defender in world football behind David Luiz.
Stone was seen as the perfect foundation for Pep Guardiola’s revolution in Manchester. Their partnership was viewed as symbiotic, with Pep benefitting from a talented ball-player and Stones learning from one of the game’s greatest minds.
Sadly it hasn’t quite panned out that way. After Man City secured the title in 2017/2018, Guardiola dismissed talk of Stones leaving.
“I don’t know how long I will be here in Manchester, but as long as I’m here, John Stones will be with us,” he said.
That has now been replaced with speculation that City will accept a heavy loss on the defender in order to move him on.
While it might sound harsh, it feels like Stones has a distinct reputation as a talented defender with a mistake in him. That was certainly the case in the Carabao Cup final against Aston Villa, when Stones slipped in the build-up to Villa’s goal.
That, combined with Chelsea’s defensive frailties this season sounds like a recipe for disaster. Why bother taking such a risk?
The obvious answer is for the potential behind the deal. Stones managed 1204 Premier League minutes last season while wrestling with injury, and during that period he recorded the best defensive duels success rate of any Man City centre-back (77.78%).
Elsewhere, only Aymeric Laporte recorded a better aerial duel win percentage than Stones (65.67%). He also recorded the fewest fouls per 90 minutes across any of Man City’s centre backs (0.37).
As a senior England international he also brings a wealth of experience to the table, and at only 26-years-old, there is also some credence to the idea he is moving into the prime period of his career.
Of course, little of this matters if he then produces a massive mistake to concede a goal, but that is an element of his game that hopefully can be rectified.
While fans and pundits alike contemplate the good and bad of Stones, the ultimate question is: does Lampard want to take on a project?
If the answer is yes, then Stones for £20million makes total sense and should be the club’s next transfer.
It will likely require patience and a system that does not put Stones on a tightrope in terms of ball-playing, but if Lampard feels he can afford Stones time then the deal would give him some added experience and a long-term option in the heart of defence.
That said, if the Blues boss is chasing an immediate answer to his problem then Stones should be avoided as throwing him straight in could easily do more damage to both Stones’ confidence and his reputation.
