At his peak, John Stones was considered one of the best center-backs in the Premier League. Although no longer maintaining his previous form, the England international is still considered capable of contributing to a top team after leaving Manchester City.
After 9 seasons attached to the Etihad Stadium, Stones officially closes his journey with Man City at the end of the 2025-2026 season. He just won third place with the England national team at the 2026 World Cup and will now focus on finding a new destination. Arsenal, Chelsea and even Everton - his old team - are all said to be closely monitoring the situation.
Last season was a difficult time for the 32-year-old center-back. Continuously injured, Stones lost his place in Pep Guardiola's squad even when he was in the best physical condition. After the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, where he did not play a minute, Stones started in the first three rounds of the Premier League, but Man City only beat Wolves among them. Since then, Guardiola has almost removed him from the plan.
Since the beginning of 2026, Stones has only played mainly in the FA Cup against lower-ranked opponents. However, statistics still show that he has not lost all his value.
Stones' tackle rate is only 0.21 times per 90 minutes in the Premier League, the lowest among non-goalkeepers of Man City who play at least 30 minutes, even lower than goalkeeper James Trafford. However, this partly reflects Guardiola's role in the ball control system rather than his own defensive ability.
In other statistics, Stones still made an impression. Only Ruben Dias made more clearances than him (4.31 times per 90 minutes), while the England international led the team in the number of saves with 1.23 times per 90 minutes.
Stones' greatest strength so far has never been in his ability to compete, but in his ball handling skills. Joining Man City with Pep Guardiola to Etihad in the summer, he became an important link in building The Citizens' ball control style of play.
Calmness, ability to escape pressing and passing quality help Stones become one of the best foot-playing center-backs in Europe. Since joining Man City in 2016, among players who have made over 10,000 passes in the Premier League, his passing accuracy rate of 93.37% is only behind Ruben Dias (93.40%).
In the 2022-2023 treble season, Stones also played an important role in ball deployment, averaging 3.9 shots in opening plays every 90 minutes - the second highest among center-backs in the Premier League.
Even in the difficult 2025-2026 season, his passing accuracy rate of 93.4% still ranked third among players playing at least 400 minutes in the Premier League. This shows that Stones' playing skills are almost not fading.
In addition to expertise, the center-back born in 1994 also brings great value in terms of experience. He has worn the Man City shirt nearly 300 times, won six Premier League titles, twice appeared in the PFA Team of the Year and once was voted into the FIFPRO Team of the World.
No matter which destination he chooses, John Stones may not be out of time. He is no longer the central defender dominating the Premier League like a few years ago, but with his class, playing skills and rich experience, the English player is still capable of becoming a quality card for any big team.
