Everton manager Roberto Martinez slams Chelsea for unsettling defender John Stones with £20million transfer offer

Chelsea expected to return for John Stones after £20million offer rejected
Everton boss Roberto Martinez has hit out at the Premier League winners
Stones was out of sorts as Everton lost 3-1 to Arsenal on Saturday

Published:
16:18 GMT, 18 July 2015

|
Updated:
18:32 GMT, 18 July 2015

127

View
comments

Roberto Martinez has been left fuming at what he claimed was a blatant attempt by Chelsea to unsettle young defender John Stones.

The Barclays Premier League champions have lodged a £20million bid for 21-year-old Stones and made it clear they will be back with more.

Stones did not perform with his usual composure as Everton were beaten 3-1 by Arsenal on Saturday in the final of the Barclays Asia Trophy in Singapore and Martinez made his thoughts clear after the match.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has claimed that Chelsea have tried to unsettle defender John Stones

England and Everton man Stones (left) struggled to perform with his usual conviction on Saturday

Stones was the subject of a transfer offer worth £20million from Premier League champions Chelsea

The Everton boss said: ‘One thing is clear, that we pride ourselves in playing a certain way and educating our young players in a manner in which they will always attract attention from elsewhere and that is a footballing compliment.

‘The other side is that another football club is making a statement in the press so openly I don’t think that is the way we would do it at Everton.

‘We would not speak about a player that is at another club and there is no issue from our point of view: John Stones is an Everton player full stop.

‘We are not a selling club in that respect. There is nothing to speak to John about. I always speak with the players but there is nothing to comment about.’

Martinez was clearly furious about the way events had unfolded since news of the Chelsea bid broke on Friday, and considered it detrimental to the preparation work he was doing in Singapore.

Everton manager Martinez said that the club have no intention of accepting an offer for Stones (left)

Martinez implied that the Chelsea bid for Stones has been detrimental to his work with the Everton team

Everton were defeated 3-1 by Arsenal in the Barclays Asia Trophy in Singapore on Saturday

‘We are working to fulfil our potential,’ he added. ‘The last few years we have been very brave in giving young players opportunities to develop and we will carry on doing that.

‘We want to be strong and as competitive as we can. That is the only focus I have today. We are not a club who need to be worried about what other clubs put through the press.’