Profile: Manchester City’s new £47.5m defender, John Stones

Manchester City completed a long-awaited £47.5 million deal to sign Everton centre-back John Stones on Tuesday, with the 22-year-old defender signing a six-year deal at the Etihad Stadium.

It means that the England international becomes the second most expensive defender in history, as he links up with new Citizens manager, Pep Guardiola.

Shoot takes a closer look at the cultured centre-half…

Where did it all start for Stones?

Born in Barnsley, south Yorkshire, Stones came through the academy at his hometown club and signed his first professional contract in December 2011.

He made his first-team debut for the Tykes as a second-half substitute in a Championship fixture against at home to Reading in March 2012, although it wasn’t a happy ending for the then 17-year-old as Barnsley were thrashed 4-0 by the Royals at Oakwell.

The centre-back made one more substitute appearance that campaign before really making an impact the following season, when he made his first start against Rochdale in the League Cup.

Stones would have made the supporters stand up and notice his abilities as he also scored at Spotland on his full debut, before starting his first league match a week later – a 1-0 success against Middlesbrough.

The highly-rated defender was starting to gain attention from Premier League clubs.

Stones blossomed under former Everton manager Roberto Martinez – Photo: Paul Roberts / Offside.

What happened next?

Despite making just 26 appearances for his hometown team, it was Everton who made their move on transfer deadline day in January 2013, bringing Stones to Goodison Park for a fee in the region of £3 million on a five-and-a-half-year deal.

He was an unused substitute for three Premier League games over the course of the remainder of the season, but bigger things were yet to come.

So did he push on in the 2013/14 season?

He certainly did. After making his debut for the Toffees against Stevenage in the League Cup in August 2013, Stones made his top-flight debut as a late substitute for Steven Naismith in a 1-0 win against Chelsea at Goodison Park on September 14, 2013.

The English defender then started his first Premier League match for Everton on New Year’s Day 2014 in a 1-1 draw against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.

In August 2014, Stones was rewarded for his impressive performances with a new five-year contract that would keep him at the club until 2019, and he scored his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win against Manchester United at Goodison Park in April 2015.

Stones own action for Everton in a league game against Norwich City – Photo: Mark Leech / Offside

How did his big move to Manchester City come about?

Stones was the subject of a number of bids from Chelsea prior to the start of the 2015/16 season, with the highest of those being £30 million, and the England international was rumoured to have had a transfer request rejected by the club.

However, he knuckled down and enjoyed his most consistent season with Everton – making 41 appearances in all competitions – which attracted the interest of Pep Guardiola, who left Bayern Munich to join Manchester City earlier this summer.

Stones has been the number 24 shirt ahead of the new campaign.

What attributes will he bring to City?

Stones has a real calmness on the ball and is comfortable in possession – something that is a necessity if you are to play in a Guardiola team.

The England defender has been criticised on some occasions for taking too many risks, but that is something that will naturally happen with a ball-playing defender, who will look to develop his game under the leadership of the Spaniard.