The rumours of a sensational return to Everton for John Stones persist.
The central defender is currently without a club, after leaving Manchester City at the end of the 2025/26 season.
Stones is currently fully focused on the World Cup and preparing for Wednesday’s semi-final with Argentina, after impressing in the 2-1 win over Norway.
That performance may well have struck a chord with Everton officials.
It has been reported in The Athletic that Everton do have interest in the player but still have some reservations about his injury record.
But Stones did move to allay those fears a few weeks ago, and there are actually a multitude of reasons to try and bring him back.
He is still quality
Stones may not have featured prominently in the last couple of years, but when he does take to the field, he usually still shows his class.
The 31-year-old’s performance against Norway at the weekend was his best showing at the tournament to date, with his highlight being how he cleverly positioned himself to cause Alexander Sorloth to fluff a golden two-on-one opportunity.
Everton became so frail towards the end of last season when James Tarkowski and Michael Keane were playing.
Stones is a much better player than those two, and he is also better than Jake O’Brien and arguably Jarrad Branthwaite too.
The ideal mentor for Jarrad Branthwaite
And speaking of Branthwaite, Everton could hand their new number four the perfect mentor by signing Stones.
They play in a very similar way, with Branthwaite having become known for his ball-playing and ability to break lines.
Stones has essentially been a pioneer for the art of ball-playing, and he will have so many pearls of wisdom to pass on to Branthwaite.
It might help Everton bring Jack Grealish back
There have been some suggestions that Jack Grealish could get a new lease of life back at Manchester City, after his loan with Everton.
Everton do want him back, but a negotiation will be required as the club did not want to pay the £50 million buy option after his loan.
Grealish might fancy trying to resurrect his spell at City. Being back there is bound to get him thinking about it, if Maresca wants him.
But if he sees that Stones is heading to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, that might encourage him to push for a return to Everton.
Stones has won it all
Everton fans are desperate to see the club taste silverware again, and Stones most definitely knows a thing or two about winning trophies.
At City, Stones lifted so many titles, and he has been a part of a culture that is all about winning.
Granted, City have had a much better squad than Everton.
But Stones’ mentality and professionalism can count for a lot in that Toffees dressing room, especially if the club bring in other players who have won titles.
There’s potential for the dressing room to become a real pressure-cooker when in pursuit of silverware. But Stones, having been there and worn the t-shirt many times, would surely help Everton if they were in that situation.
Would a return for John Stones on a free make any sense for Everton? 🧐
His experience could prove priceless! 🏆
His re-signing can lift the fans
Of course, Everton signing Stones would see the defender return to his former club.
In 2017, he departed to join City for a fee of around £50 million.
Everton are no strangers to re-signing players, and there is definitely a romantic element to bringing Stones, now a world-class operator when fit, back after he left as a relative youngster.
It would absolutely lift the fans to see him gracing the turf at Hill Dickinson in Everton blue again, and Stones would no doubt love it.
His relationship with the City fans was special to him, and it would be the exact same if he came back.
Stones’ intelligence and versatility would give David Moyes options
At City, Stones would often carry out multiple roles in a match, such is his intelligence as a footballer.
We would see him move into midfield when City had the ball, to create overloads. He could do that either from right-back or from the middle.
Everton obviously don’t dominate the ball as City do. But Stones being so flexible is another major draw.
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