Will John Stones finally fill the void at the back for Manchester City?

Manchester City have invested heavily in defenders in recent seasons in a bid to find a partner for captain Vincent Kompany. The club have taken their total to £176m with the signing of John Stones from Everton for a fee in the region of £50m and as a result of the England international’s arrival, City have taken their spending this summer beyond the £150m mark, a statement of intent from the owners under new manager Pep Guardiola.

The move could strengthen their bid to reclaim the Premier League crown, with their latest odds from Bet365 at 5/2 to win the division for the third time in six years.

City have signed an Everton defender before for a large sum of cash when they completed a deal for Joleon Lescott, who proved to be a solid option, although he was not quite ready for the rigours of Champions League football. However, he was still a key component of the two teams that won Premier League titles under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, which is more than can be said of others who have struggled immensely in the English top flight. Stefan Savic and Matija Nastastic are among the names that have failed to make the grade at the Etihad Stadium, and consequently were swiftly moved out of the club.

One decision that the City hierarchy will have regretted was to decide against retaining the services of Germany international Jerome Boateng, who was bought for £11m from Hamburger SV. He made just 24 appearances before being transferred to Bayern Munich, where he has become one of the leading centre-backs in world football, also playing a vital role in Germany’s victory at the 2014 World Cup.

Recently City have splashed significant cash to attempt to fill the void in the heart of their defence, given Kompany’s problems with fitness and issues with quality alongside the Belgian when he has played for the club. Eliaquim Mangala was bought for £40m from Porto, but endured several disappointing displays in his first season in the Premier League, often losing his place to the ageing Martin Demichelis.

The Frenchman’s role was reduced in the 2015/16 campaign due to the signing of Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia. However, despite boasting a lofty reputation in La Liga and with the Argentine national squad, he was far from convincing in the heart of the defence. Therefore Guardiola targeted Stones from the off this summer and after a lengthy battle, the Spaniard secured the 22-year- old’s signature after Jose Mourinho failed with Chelsea to lure him to Stamford Bridge last year.

Stones deserved the attention of the Blues due to his exploits at Everton, but he was far from his best last term under Roberto Martinez, making numerous high-profile errors in his determination to play the ball out from the back.His defensive skills appeared to regress during Martinez’s tenure at Goodison Park, leaving Guardiola with work to do to restore the England international’s confidence and fundamentals.

The Spaniard will have to hope he has better coaching methods than his predecessors to stop Stones becoming the latest in the long line of defensive failures at the club.

Written by Peter Holmes.