I hate this thread...and I blame John Stones.
He is so damn good on the ball and does things that frankly no other center halves have done or do in a blue shirt. He exudes class...top rate talent with the ball in his feet. Looking like literally a world class player at a very young age.
That said, he's also equally frustrating as a defender for me. He shows flashes...which I suppose is down to his age...but more often than not he is a liability defensively, and has been from the jump.
Aerial defense? Non existent.
Positional awareness? Ball watches way too much.
Discipline? 'What is this discipline thing?' -John Stones
He has the potential to be one of the best in the world. We all know it and see it. BUT he is nowhere near that player today, and hasn't shown much to say he's going to make that leap as a defender.
Stones is sexy as hell, but so is 50 mil.
For me, today, Ashley Williams is the better defender, and defenders are paid to defend. Our biggest problem for the last two years have been shambolic defending. What a weird place to be when you are choosing Ashley William over John Stones in your head.
It's a difficult truth for me, and if we pull off the Williams deal, we will be better defensively...which is the #1 reason we've fallen so far in the table.