John Stones is Arsenal’s perfect answer to Arteta’s Saliba problem

Updated: 20 Jul 2026 15:51 BST | 4 min read

Jude Bellingham, John Stones, England, 2026 World Cup — © IMAGO

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

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Arsenal have been dealt a major blow before starting their Premier League title defence with the news that William Saliba faces a long absence, but a move for John Stones is the perfect antidote for the Emirates club.

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While the severity of Saliba’s back injury has yet to be confirmed by Mikel Arteta’s club, initial reports suggest he could require surgery that would rule him out for much of the rest of 2026.

The Gunners have one ideal replacement in their ranks in the form of Cristhian Mosquera, yet the need for additional depth in the heart of their defence is clear and there is no player better suited to stepping in than Stones, who is currently a free agent after his contract with Manchester City expired at the end of June.

Current ETV

John Stones

D (C)

John Stones

D (C)

ETV Range

€10.6M - €13M

The Sun reports that the Gunners are interested in signing the 32-year-old on a short-term basis to plug a gap left by Saliba, and it has all the hallmarks of an ideal transfer for both parties.

Arteta tends to prefer players with a strong history in the Premier League, which Stones boasts. This is doubly the case given that the pair worked together at Man City, from whom the Spanish manager previously signed Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus.

The fact that the England star is a free agent, making negotiations comparatively straightforward and low cost, is only a further selling point.

© IMAGO - Stones (r) with Jude Bellingham at the World Cup

Stones is a strong fit for Arsenal

Stones’ main selling point to Arsenal is how slickly he can fit into the team. This is underlined by the Career Advice tool of data analytics firm SciSports, which judges moves based on a variety of metrics ranging from pitch time and development to playing style and formation.

Arsenal rank very strongly, coming in with a Club Fit score of 74.

Indeed, Arteta’s side are actually more attractive to the veteran centre-back than the picture this paints. It does not take into account that Saliba faces months out. Arsenal can therefore promise Stones more playing time than this suggests.

Otherwise, he is a strong fit in terms of style, formation and development, which is less likely to be a consideration at the stage of his career Stones is at.

Arsenal, though, can promise the former Everton star the opportunity of regular high-level football as they fight to retain their domestic crown and seek to add the Champions League to their trophy cabinet for the first time.

© IMAGO - John Stones, Career Advice, Arsenal

A valuable member of the squad

While Mosquera is a perfect replacement for Saliba, Arsenal could use further depth in their defence.

Stones does not address this directly but having him available to play as a centre-back would free up Mosquera to feature at right-back, where he started the Champions League final.

It’s not a flashy signing that’s likely to make headlines, but it could potentially be a very smart one to increase the depth of Arteta’s options ahead of a season that will test the Gunners’ reserves like never before.