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David Tully Jul 20th 2026
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Arsenal are weighing up whether to sign former Man City centre-back John Stones on a free transfer, according to reports.
The Sun claim that the Gunners are eyeing a “shock” move for the England international following the news that William Saliba could be sidelined for several months with a back injury.
There has been a mixed reaction to the story among supporters on X. Some believe he would be a decent short-term signing, while others are not so sure:
This is a very good deal. Salina will only be out for about 5 months so 1 year deal for Stones will be an excellent piece of business.
— KC Ejiofor (@ichenek) July 20, 2026
He's too injury prone, we'd rather stick with Mosquera,
— Melch Zedekiah (@MelchZedek66192) July 19, 2026
Bring in Stones, that will be a very good signing, he did well in the World Cup and a great player
— Jasper X (@bigkala247) July 19, 2026
Why would we do that he is very injury prone ,we will need another CB in November when he is injured
— _Kimberleyy.xo (@Kimberleyroyalt) July 19, 2026
Love this. Brings experience, free, good on the ball, and doesn’t block the Mosquera pathway while freeing up funds for other positions. Spending £50+ on some squad players like konsa or lacroix cripples us
— Ben (@afc__ben) July 19, 2026
Like seriously man my team noooooo😭
— Jerald Mwesigwa (@JERALD1738) July 19, 2026
Stones’ injury record is a concern
The 32-year-old has spent a good deal of time on the sidelines in recent seasons. He has missed 58 matches for both club and country since the start of the 2024/25 season.
Stones has not suffered serious injuries either. He has picked up several different calf, foot, hamstring and thigh problems over the last two years.
Some may argue that it isn’t much of a risk, as he is available on a free, but if you want someone to provide cover for Saliba, it’s best to go with someone who is not prone to being sidelined for extended periods.
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Who else could Arsenal sign?
Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa has been mentioned as a potential target, but Stones’ England international teammate could cost upwards of £60m.
That would be a lot of money just to sign someone who would essentially be a temporary replacement for Saliba.
There are suggestions that Konsa could also be deployed at right-back, with Ben White’s future up in the air.
However, it has been reported that the Gunners may make a U-turn on White and keep him around. If that is true, then there would be no reason for Konsa to be recruited for that position.
A low-cost solution in the middle of defence does make sense, but it is up for debate whether Stones is the right choice.
David Tully
David Tully
David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.