How Pep Can Turn a Promising Talent into Another John Stones
Taylor Harwood-Bellis, a player for Manchester City, might be the replacement for John Stones at the Etihad Stadium.
The 21-year-old recently finished his fourth loan from the Manchester club, this time aiding Burnley in regaining Premier League status thanks to Vincent Kompany.
Since then, Fulham and West Ham United are reportedly interested in the defender as a transfer target.
We believe that if the Citizens were to stick onto the Englishman, they may see him develop into a major first-team player for the foreseeable future, even though it has subsequently been rumored that the European champions are prepared to cash in on the center-back.
The city ought to retain Harwood-Bellis
Stones, a current City player who demonstrated his versatility as a defensive player throughout last season, is one that we believe Harwood-Bellis would try to replace in Pep Guardiola’s squad.
For instance, the 29-year-old not only had the joint-highest passing accuracy rate (93%) in the City squad during their most recent Premier League season, but he also made the fourth-most clearances (40).
Contrarily, Harwood-Bellis completed more clearances (106) than any other player at Turf Moor by the end of the Championship season. He also had an overall passing accuracy percentage of 85%, which was higher than that of 17 other Burnley players.
The City youth product, who obviously has a penchant for defending, shown last season that he can be just as skilled with the ball in his hands as Stones was during his time at the Etihad Stadium.
The teenager has demonstrated the skill and potential to be a valuable player for Guardiola in the future, despite not being as versatile or especially adept in possession as the current City defence.
Therefore, we believe that selling the defender permanently this summer could be a mistake on the part of the triple winners. Instead, they should try to send him out on loan once more to a Premier League team so that he can get regular playing time and gain experience in the top division.