Liverpool legend, Alan Hansen, believes Barcelona would be 'perfect' for John Stones
Liverpool legend, Alan Hansen, has suggested that John Stones is the perfect kind of defender Spanish giants, Barcelona, could use. Alan Hansen – who won three European cups for Liverpool – knows a thing or two about defenders and calls the Everton man the 'real deal'.
Last summer, Stones was subject to a series of bids rising to £44.2million from defending champions, Chelsea, but Everton chairman Bill Kenwright and his manager, Roberto Martinez, insisted that the Englishman was not for sale irrespective of the value of incoming bids. Stones himself tried pushing for a transfer but later on stayed and has since been a mainstay in the Everton back line.
Hansen believes Stones has the right ingredients to succeed at a club like Barcelona. “From what I’ve seen, Stones has all the attributes, but when you read about clubs being prepared to spend £50million on him, at this stage you are still paying for potential," he said.
“And of course, it is important where he plays his football – and that he plays regularly – to help him develop.
“What England need is English defenders coming through and playing at the highest possible level.
“In a footballing sense, and this is purely a footballing consideration, Barcelona would be perfect for him.
“The way he plays, and the way they play, would be the ideal match-up. Yes, they have some unbelievable talents higher up the pitch, but they haven’t lost a football match for five months because they don’t give many goals away.”
Hansen believes that even if Stones does move to Barcelona, he has to have it in him to learn continuously and ensure that he learns to read the game better.
“It looks like Stones is the real deal. The boy is 21, and the most important thing for him to learn is to play the percentages," he said.
“That means if he is on the edge of his own box and someone is throwing themselves into a tackle, one-on-one, it’s not taking a chance if you stay on your feet and your opponent goes to ground. You are going to go past him, 100 per cent.
“But if there are three of them bearing down on you fast, and you try to be a bit too clever by going past them with a Cruyff turn, that’s taking a chance.
“You’ve got to weigh up the risks and not be afraid to put your foot through it - but knowing when to play comes with age.
“I know I got hammered for saying you win nothing with kids on Match of the Day, but Bob Paisley once told me experience is everything, and you can’t tell a 21-year-old, ‘I know how to play this game’.
“My first two games for Liverpool were a clean sheet against Derby and at Old Trafford, where we got beat – I had to learn quickly when I started, and I was still learning in my final season at 35 years old.”