Chelsea Transfer News: New John Stones Bid Rumours, Alessio Romagnoli Latest
Chelsea’s attempts to bolster their defensive options will see them reportedly chase two of the top young centre-backs in European football—Everton’s John Stones and Roma’s Alessio Romagnoli.
According to Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror, despite having a £20 million bid rejected for Stones already, Chelsea will continue in their attempts to land the youngster with a new bid next week. It’s reported that Everton will hold out for what would be a British record transfer fee for a defender.
Graeme Bailey of Goal.com writes that the Blues will return with a bid of £28 million for the 21-year-old and that the former Barnsley star is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge.
Former Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joseph Barton rates the defender highly indeed:
It’s easy to see why Everton are holding out for such a substantial sum. Since being given a chance in the team by manager Roberto Martinez, the centre-back has gone on to establish himself as one of the finest operators at the back in the league.
Stones’ composure on the ball and ability to pick a pass have seen him draw plenty of praise. But the youngster possesses razor-sharp defensive instincts, which belie his tender years. To be so young and performing at such a high level in the Premier League in a very difficult position is mightily impressive.
As we can see here courtesy of Sky Sports News HQ, Stones shapes up pretty well in a statistical comparison with Chelsea’s first-choice defenders:
Given how much the England international is likely to cost the Blues, it’d be no surprise to see manager Jose Mourinho make some contingency plans. They could come in the form of Giallorossi star Romagnoli.
According to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia), the Blues have inquired into the availability of the 20-year-old as part of Roma’s pursuit of Mohamed Salah. The young defender was extremely impressive on loan at Sampdoria last season, and, as noted by the piece, is perceived by many as ”the future of the Italy defence.”
Here’s a look at why:
With Arsenal, Napoli and Milan also reportedly keen on the player, Romagnoli is clearly in demand. But just as is the case with Stones at Everton, Roma are being stern in their negotiations, according to the piece, having rejected a €25 million offer from the Rossoneri and placing a €30 million price tag on the player.
Like Stones, Romagnoli is a centre-back with wily instincts, and as noted here by OptaPaolo, for a player so young he’s already quite experienced:
Here’s how Romagnoli compared with Stones in league matches during the 2014-15 season:
| Apps (Sub) | 23 | 28 (2) |
| Goals | 1 | 2 |
| Tackles per game | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Interceptions per game | 1.5 | 2.1 |
| Clearance per game | 6 | 6.3 |
| Blocks per game | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Passing accuracy | 89.5% | 82.9% |
For Chelsea, it’s likely to be one or the other, and there are obvious merits to potentially landing either player.
Romagnoli would most likely come cheaper, but Stones is a player already well acquainted with Premier League football; something young defenders from overseas can often find overwhelming initially. However, according to the Liverpool Echo, the Everton man is “simply not for sale,” making the Roma man the more attainable of the two.
Both players are set to go to the top, and if Chelsea do end up with either, they’ll be getting a potential world-class defender. But if the Blues can’t get Stones, expect Mourinho, who has quality defensive options already, to bide his time for now before making another move further down the line.
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