A John Stones transfer could seriously hurt Arsenal and Mikel Arteta

Arsenal are being heavily linked with Manchester City centre-back John Stones as a stop-gap solution to William Saliba's injury issues.

While an official timeline hasn't been revealed yet for the defender's recovery, the signs don't look positive. Speculation suggests the Frenchman could be out until near the end of the calendar year, and this has prompted the Gunners to scour the market for players who can replace him in the short-term.

Ezri Konsa has been mooted as a target, although Aston Villa's £60 million valuation may prove too steep for Andrea Berta.

Instead, the North Londoners could turn to Stones, who is available for free after leaving Manchester City at the end of last season.

The case for Arsenal signing John Stones

There are certainly valid arguments for Arsenal making their move on Stones.

The most pertinent is that they won't have to pay a transfer fee for him, while they also won't have to spend any time negotiating with another club for his signature. It's a quick and logistically convenient deal to do, which might appeal to Berta given how extensive his to do list is this summer.

He's also still clearly capable of playing at a high level. While there was some criticism of certain aspects of his performance for England at the World Cup, he was more than good enough to take the Three Lions to the last four. He may be losing some of his recovery speed, but he's still excellent in possession and would slot seamlessly into Mikel Arteta's system.

Another factor which makes the Stones deal enticing is his age. While the additional leadership and know-how he'd bring to the dressing room is important, it's more about how his age means it'll be a short-term deal, meaning his arrival wouldn't block Cristhian Mosquera's development.

Ideally, the England international would accept a lucrative one-year deal, rotate with Mosquera and Gabriel until Saliba is back, and then slot back into a more sporadic role for the remainder of the season.

It's the archetypal stop-gap signing and that's attractive when the plan wasn't initially to go out and sign another central defender.

The case against Arsenal signing John Stones

While signing Stones would be convenient, it could also be reframed as lazy. He's right there and free, but arguably more work needs to go into finding a short-term Saliba replacement.

The discourse also changes when you consider this potential signing as more than just a fill-in for the Frenchman. Myles Lewis-Skelly is expected to fulfil a midfield role permanently next season, meaning Arsenal are down to seven senior defenders. Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White and Jurrien Timber will all need to be full-time centre-backs, meaning even with Saliba, the Gunners will only have three centre-backs at their disposal.

Factoring in Saliba and Gabriel's fitness issues, and Mosquera's inexperience, and all of a sudden the need for a high-quality centre-back is pressing. A 32-year-old injury-prone defender might not cut it.

Stones made just 20 Premier League appearances in his final two seasons at City - nine starts and fewer than 1,000 minutes. He's never been the most durable player, failing to play over 2,000 league minutes in any season since 2016/17, his first at the Etihad.

It would be bold to assume this is going to change as he enters the latter stages of his career. This would be a significant problem if he were to come to Arsenal, who are looking for durability in the midst of their fragile squad.

The Verdict on John Stones to Arsenal

Ultimately, Arsenal should go in a different direction. A much younger, much more robust player who can be added to their centre-back rotation is what they require, even if it means significantly eating into their budget.

It's going to be a difficult season on the injury front, as key players in Arteta's ensemble feel the effects of being overplayed and from not enjoying a proper break for well over a year. The likes of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are going to need an extended break, and even when they're back, they'll need to be carefully managed.

In Rice's case, the Gunners are responding by trying to add a top-quality midfielder to their ranks in Bruno Guimaraes, to cope in the England international's likely absence. Berta ought to take the same approach with Saliba's scenario.

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