Williams is 10 years older than Stones.

The jury is still out on Stones, but working under a manager who knows how to set a defence up and probably playing alongside Terry at least for this season, should see him right.

Terry? You mean Kompany.

Guardiola will help him plenty. This is a guy who turned mascherano into a Centre back. He will make some errors, the way he plays means sometimes he will as he does take some risks but there is a player in there and will get better.

Late night brain fade. Kompany of course.

Working alongside Kompany!? What will he learn there, apart from how to last for five minutes in a match before going off injured??

Williams is just what Everton need at this moment, a leader to marshal the defence, he will prove to be a bargain buy I think.

Stones has an awful lot to prove, yes he is still.young enough to do so, but there is still a heck of a lot of improvement in his game needed, if he is to get close to being a top class defender.

Maybe...but i'm not convinced that Stones is the right player for the PL, as I am not convinced that Pep's methods of setting up a team will work so well in the PL either.

Its a neutrals thread batdude, if you cant post even handedly please go to your own thread and say things like this. The discussion in here is mostly mature with no need for digs at rival clubs and players.

i am not sure that his methods will do well in the PL either, and stones seems not a good fit for this type of football. far too many errors.

I think Stones is a good fit for Pep's method...but I think he would be better suited to a top team in Spain, or a league that allows buildup from the back..I think here too many teams will be on him like a shot, if they do their homework right that is, and exploit his weakness.

Stones is a 22 year old centre back who is about to be managed by one of the outstanding managers in Europe. Seems little doubt to me he'll be fantastic at City. Martinez due to his managerial ineptitude is charged with stunting his development to the complete detriment of club and country. That isn't a dig, its based on two years evidence.

I agree with this even hand assessment of the situation. Everton will be better off with an experienced centre back in Williams and £40m in the bank to strengthen elsewhere, whilst Stones I'm sure will develop into an excellent defender in the Rio Ferdinand mould.

If Everton kept Stones they would simply develop him to a point where he had outgrown them and he would be off anyway, that's assuming he develops as expected. I think selling now is a decent move for them.

Also no defender had a hope in hell of improving in a team managed by Martinez.

Pep. Outstanding manager yes, outstanding defensive coach? Two very different things.

Its not as easy as the manager being responsible for improving players, pep cannot take a good CB and make them a fantastic CB.

In Spain, defenders are allowed to receive the ball from the keeper, bring it out and pass it forward. However, in the PL if i were playing against city, i would ask one of my players to hound stones all game, never giving him a second on the ball.

If he doesnt hoof it up field straightaway, you will get at least one error out of him in 90 minutes, probably more.

Most of the successful CBs in PL history are of a certain type. Terry, Carragher, Vidic, Stam, Kompany, even Huth last year.

Stones doesnt fit with them.

And yet he is in charge of the 2nd highest rated international team!

From what you have watched of Stones, do you think he has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the world?

Does he have to be? If he is an England International and a City player for the next decade it would represent decent value for money wouldn't it? In other words, its a chance worth taking.

The thing is, this time next year there will be another player being sold for £70m that everyone will be talking about and the Stones move will be forgotten.

Stones has played for england 10 times, but he is not an england international.

Hodgson didnt trust him enough to play him at a tournament.

Big Sam likes defenders who will not give the ball away, his golden rule is do not mess about in your own half.

Stones is not a big sam type of defender, there is no reason to see why he will be a 1st choice international for the next 10 years.

Not sure a bout your second point...until Sterling delivers for club and country, that price tag will forever be an albatross around his neck.

I don't know if £50m will be decent value for money if he has a good decade in the team, as they could have invested say £20m in a different young centre back now who could perform to the same level as Stones in the next decade

Oh come on, I was clearly just joking around, of course Kompany when fit is an excellent defender, that goes without saying really.

When fit

Huh???

Another myth. The idea that in Spain the opposition never presses yet in England they all do is absurd. Some teams press high some don't. That can be said of every league in Europe.

Your evidence for Guardiola not being able to improve players is what exactly?

Was Gerard Pique in 2008 the finished article?

How can you make a list of successful CB's yet leave out Rio Ferdinand.

Look you quote clearly were not joking as you have done the same thing throughout this thread and are ruining it for everyone else. Please try to think before you rush to post that's all it takes.

Because she doesn't forgive him for being Anton Ferdinand's brother.

Are you actually saying tat they type of football played in spain and the PL are the same?

I find that absurd.