5 Reasons why John Stones should not move to Chelsea

The 21-year-old Everton centre-back is a Chelsea transfer targetThe rumour mill has recently been flooded with gossip of John Stones moving to Chelsea. The move may make sense on paper for the 21-year-old Everton centre back. Chelsea have always been an elite side who will compete for trophies in all competitions, add that to the presence of Jose Mourinho at the helm, who is one of the best managers to ever grace the Premier League. This is then topped off with Stones having the potential mentorship of a certain Mr John Terry - one of England's finest centre backs of this era. The decision seems simple enough then, leave Everton, win trophies at Chelsea, and under the mentorship of a great player and manager, further your skills and traits. Not exactly. Here are 5 reasons why John Stones shouldn't move to Chelsea.

#1 Game time is not guaranteed

Getting to play a regular role in Chelsea’s defence will still be a challenge for Stones

Yes, Chelsea have had a bad start to the season. Most of that can be attributed to their defending which has looked nothing less than shambolic. A new recruit at the heart of that said defence could solve all those problems. John Stones is well aware of this. However, if he indeed moves to Stamford Bridge there’s no guarantee that he’ll get time on the pitch.

While Terry and Cahill have looked a shadow of their usually dependable selves, they were still a part of that impenetrable Chelsea defence last year and Mourinho trusts the pair. Zouma arrived in the team last season with a reputation of potentially being John Terry’s successor last year only to be warranted stop-gap appearances. While much first team action wasn’t expected for the Frenchman due to the Cahill-Terry partnership clicking so well, Zouma would’ve definitely benefited from more regular action.

Stones could face a similar predicament this year if he joins Chelsea as we still don’t know whether Chelsea’s central defenders will remain as misguided throughout the season. If any of the defenders synchronise well together as the year progresses, Mourinho will favour them as his starters throughout the year due to them being more familiar with his brand of football.

This has happened before at Chelsea on more than one occasion. Gael Kakuta, Franco di Santo – the list goes on and on. John Stones should not be looking to add his name to that list of potential wonderkids who stunted their careers by moving to a big team like Chelsea.

#2 Roberto Martinez\'s presence at Everton

Roberto Martinez is the perfect manager for Stones to develop under

There’s no doubt that Roberto Martinez is a great manager. Leading Swansea to safety from relegation from professional football as a captain to then taking them up to the Championship as manager, the Spaniard then went one better in winning the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic in 2012. While being a good tactician, the field Martinez excels in, however, is managing his players. In Roberto Martinez, Everton possess a manager who gets the most out of his players – Ashley Willaims, Nathan Dyer, Franco di Santo – the list goes on.

In all of the teams he’s managed there has always been a strong sense of a nurturing environment being created for the players. This is the perfect kind of environment for Stones to ply his trade under if he wants to become a Premier League great.

Learning from the likes of Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka, Stones can gradually learn the intricacies of the Premier League – a luxury he will not be given at Chelsea where the competition for spots is much more cut-throat and one bad performance could dent his entire season’s aspirations.

#3 The pressure of a big money move

Chelsea have had two bids for Stones rejected already and are now trying for a third time with a £38m bid for the Everton centre back. While this may be a testament to the belief Chelsea have in Stones’ potential, it is still a largely overpriced figure. This is mainly down to the fact Stones qualifies as a homegrown player, therefore Chelsea are more than willing to splash the cash. This is all well and good, however what happens if Stones doesn’t live up to that price tag?

Chelsea have a knack of spending big on players who don’t live up to their lavish transfer fees. Hernan Crespo and Andriy Shevchenko were prime examples of this during Mourinho’s first stint with The Blues. The problem doesn’t merely lay in the fact that Stones could potentially fail at Chelsea but there is a possibility of this potential setback to dampen the rest of his career.

Just ask Fernando Torres. El Niño was a prolific goalscorer in his time at Atletico and then Liverpool but a failure to put the ball at the back of then net consistently at Chelsea led to him never being that ruthless, clinical striker we all loved again. The pressure of a £50 million price tag was too much for the Spaniard to carry as his confidence plummeted and with it so did his characteristic pace and guile.

Stones could become a hit at Chelsea. He could indeed become John Terry’s successor at the Bridge. However, a £38m price tag is a huge amount of responsibility to put on the shoulders of a 21-year-old who’s only played two seasons in Premier League.

#4 He\'s part of a promising Everton squad

Everton possess some of the brightest young talents in world football right now

One of the factors in Stones’ potential move away from Goodison is the fact that at Everton, he wouldn’t be challenging for any trophies while at Chelsea he could be looking at playing for four trophies in a season.

While that may be so, it still doesn’t discount Everton from potentially challenging for titles in the years to come. With youthful talent on display like Ross Barkley, Romelu Lukaku and Gerard Deulofeu, Everton possess some of the world’s best future prospects who given the right management under Martinez will definitely have Everton firing on all cylinders in the near future.

While his performances last year could lead you to scarcely believe it, John Stones is still 21 years old. He has his whole career ahead of him and with that, plenty of time to weigh his options in on whether he needs to move to a big club in order to win silverware. If he stays at Everton and with it gets regular first team football, Stones will no doubt mature in the years to come.

By then he can make a well-informed decision about where his loyalties lie rather than jump ship right now. At Goodison, Stones is part of a team where he’s considered a vital cog in the machine – giving him confidence that his performances matter, thus setting the stage for much bigger things in the future for the boy from Barnsley.

#5 He could become an Everton legend

Stones could cement his place among the Everton greats

There is no denying that John Stones is one of English football’s brightest talents. Fast, agile, a great tackler, John Stones has it all. He’d be a valuable addition to any side in the world but none more so than the one he’s in right now. At Everton, Stones is a vital part of a young squad that could take Everton to great heights in the future years to come.

In a league where the clubs with big budgets get all the good players, Stones could break the mould and remain at Everton and carry them to sporting pinnacles that he wishes to reach. In doing so, not only will he be able to set an example for future generations to stay true to their teams but also give the Everton faithful something to really cheer about since a certain young, ginger-haired Wayne Rooney managed to do more than a decade ago.

But what about that transfer request handed in? While that naturally would’ve angered the Merseyside crowd, Stones can take solace in the fact that Steven Gerrard endured a much more visceral experience when rumours of him wanting to leave for Chelsea surfaced around a decade ago. The outrage eventually died down and Gerrard went on to experience some of the best years of his playing career. Gerrard’s example proves is that football fans have conveniently short memories if you give them what they want on the pitch.

So if he continues this level of football, he’s assured a place in England’s and Everton’s defensive line in the future with a shot at captaincy. He could become to Everton what Steven Gerrard was to Liverpool in the other half of Merseyside. In other words, John Stones could write his name into Evertonian folklore. He could become an Everton legend.