‘A No Brainer’ ‘We Don’t Need Him’
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Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thinks his former club should snap up John Stones on a free transfer.
The England international is currently without a club after his contract at Manchester City expired last month, and Hasselbaink says manager Xabi Alonso should seriously consider signing the defender:
“I would love to see him (Alonso) go and get (John) Stones, who is a free agent. Everybody will say, ‘Oh, but he’s injured a lot’.”
“I think this year he will be a very good buy for Chelsea because Chelsea doesn’t play in the Champions League or in Europe, so it’s from Saturday to Saturday. He will have more rest, and he brings a lot of experience as well. So he can at least play 30 matches.”
Supporters on X are very much split on whether a move for Stones is a good idea:
This to me personally is a no brainer. I’d love nothing more
— Screwdrive (@echoandnineo) July 14, 2026
Chelsea love injured players 🤗
— king jom unch (@buatsaja_budi) July 14, 2026
Me too would love Chelsea to sign him
— Liquid Metal🗣️ (@Mrsuccess23) July 14, 2026
We don’t need him
— God’Son (@Timilehin0) July 14, 2026
Said this before… we need stones experience
— Ebenezer Edozie (@UnboundNero) July 14, 2026
We can’t keep signing injury prone players. We’ve already got Lavia, James, Fofana and the rest, so why add Stones too? Make it make sense
— OG 🇦🇷 (@YikescleverOG) July 14, 2026
Stones’ injury record is very poor
The 32-year-old has spent more time on the treatment table than out on the pitch in recent seasons. He was sidelined for 24 games during the 2025/26 campaign and 34 matches the year before.
Stones has suffered from foot, hamstring, thigh and calf muscle problems over the past two years, so he is simply prone to picking up injuries, rather than just being unlucky with one or two serious setbacks.
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Chelsea have their eye on another centre-half
It is believed that Alonso’s top target to strengthen the middle of defence is Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix, but a formal bid has still not been lodged for the France international.
There are suggestions that the Blues need to offload Trevoh Chalobah first before they can step up their pursuit of the player.
