John Stones could not stop smiling. Manchester City had flooded their social media channels with images of their new signing and every one was a picture of happiness.
This was the moment that confirmed City’s lengthy pursuit of Stones had reached a successful conclusion and it also signified the moment the England international entered the history books, with Everton having agreed to sell him for a deal worth more than £50million. It is a record for a central defender.
Everton, who expect to replace Stones with Ashley Williams for £12m today after the Wales international had a medical on Merseyside, have received £47.5m up front with add-ons to be determined by City’s future performance in the Champions League.
Stones, who 12 months ago was the subject of four rejected bids from Chelsea, put pen-to-paper on a lucrative six-year contract and has been allotted squad No 24 after becoming the eighth signing of Pep Guardiola’s reign.
Guardiola, when he was Bayern Munich coach, watched Chelsea’s doomed pursuit of Stones from afar and one of the first things he did when agreeing to move to the Etihad was make clear his desire to land the 22-year-old.
After weeks of negotiations between City and Everton over the fee — the Goodison Park club would not budge over their £50m evaluation — an agreement was reached on Monday.
‘I’m absolutely delighted to sign for City and I’m looking forward to the next stage in my career,’ Stones said in a statement on the club’s website. ‘I’ve seen what’s going on here at the Etihad, it’s an ambitious club with a great manager.
‘I can’t wait to get stuck in and help achieve the goals. I know it will be tough getting a place in this team but I’m determined to become the best player I can be.’
The prospect of working with Guardiola, Stones said, proved crucial in helping him make his decision. He was monitored by other teams this summer, including Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United, but the lure of City was irresistible.
‘It was the manager, the team; when we played City I got beat and I knew they were a good team,’ said Stones. ‘There were a lot of things, I spoke to a lot of the boys here like Joe (Hart) and they wanted me to come.’
Guardiola added: ‘We want to help John show his quality with us and improve on what he has already achieved. I like the way he plays the game and I’m looking forward to welcoming him into the squad.’
The day had started with City being left red-faced, as UEFA published their squad list at 9am for the Champions League with Stones’ name and number on it even though the deal had not been officially announced.
Everton were left perplexed by the mix-up —they issued a curt 54 word statement to wrap things up — while UEFA maintained the blame was solely City’s, insisting their only actions were simply to publish the names that were submitted to them on Monday night.
None of that mattered to Stones, who made a point of returning to Everton’s Finch Farm training base at 2pm yesterday and he stayed two hours saying his goodbyes to former team-mates and staff at the place that has been his home since January 2013.
He joined Everton from Barnsley and they will benefit from the move after including a 15 per cent sell-on clause in the initial £3m deal that took him from Oakwell to Goodison Park.
‘I had a wonderful time with Everton and wish them and their fans all the best,’ said Stones. ‘But now I’ll give my all for City.’ – Daily Mail