Home Premier League Chelsea Roberto Martinez offers Chelsea Stones hope

Roberto Martinez offers Chelsea Stones hope

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Defender could be sold next summer

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has refused to rule out selling John Stones to Chelsea in the future, but would only so if a replacement would improve his Toffees squad.

The two clubs are set to meet this weekend in the Premier League for the first time since Chelsea‘s relentless, yet eventually fruitless, pursuit of the England defender.

The Blues had four bids turned down for Stones, and he even handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force a move to Stamford Bridge.

But Everton held firm, and Martinez was able to hold on to Stones.

Sale Next Year?

Speaking ahead of what may well be a feisty meeting with Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho, Martinez said: “There are right times and wrong times to lose players – and at this moment, John Stones is paramount in everything we do.

“It is very important for us to have John and I truly feel for his development and for his career this is the perfect place for him to be, to play for Everton.

“All I am interested in is what Everton need this season.

“From that point on, we will need to make another decision on what we need to be better going into next season.

“At the moment, you are not making a decision to delay it for another window. You don’t do that.

“You make a decision based on what we need now. Can you replace a player now? Can we get a stronger squad by losing a player now?

“The decision is that John is in a perfect position to be important for how we want to play now.

“We have very young players ready to kick on such as Ross Barkley, Romelu Lukaku and John Stones. They are at a similar age and it was about keeping that core.”

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by Steve Osborne

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