Kamara: Everton should sell unsettled Stones to Chelsea now

Roberto Martinez may have adopted a strong stance that John Stones will not be sold to Chelsea, but if it was up to me I would sell him, straight away.

After watching the Barnsley game in midweek, I wouldn’t say that his mind wasn’t on the game, but he didn’t look a £40m centre half to me in that game.

Of course, I’m an ex-footballer, I know what it is like, even the best players in the world can have off days, but we all now know where John Stones wants to be. He’s handed in his request and this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for him.

I know Everton don’t want to be a selling club, but they also don’t want to be a club that has a player that knows that he could be elsewhere challenging for the Premier League. I know it’s harsh, but it happens all the time.

As long as Everton can find a replacement I would say he is as good as gone.

Not so straight forward for Norwich and Grabban

While I’d say the Toffees should sell for what the champions are offering, I’m not so sure Norwich should be so quick to let their wantaway man Lewis Grabban go.

The thing about Grabban is that he’s not been a regular for Alex Neil, and he’s obviously got it in the back of his mind that as soon as a Norwich get an offer they’ll let him go.

But when a club shows a really strong interest in a player in the way that Bournemouth have done, then what Norwich are trying to do is to squeeze as much out of them as possible and then that can go towards a replacement.

Their replacement is probably going to cost them a hell of a lot more than the bids they are receiving for him, so what they need to do is to get as much as they possibly can from Bournemouth to go towards it.

If they can’t get that replacement and they decide not to sell Grabban, then he knows that he has got to knuckle down at Norwich and do the business so that he can get his move when the January window comes around.

It’s just a game that both clubs are playing. If I was in Alex Neil’s shoes I would deal with the issue of Grabban going AWOL in exactly the same manner that he has done, and say ‘at the end of the day we are prepared to let you go but it has to be on our terms. And then once we can find a suitable replacement then everything will go through.’

If you are not a regular in the team and somebody else wants you then there are of course things you are going to do to try and chivvy the move along, but at the end of the day it is the club that hold all the aces.

Another thing about this that no one seems to be taking into consideration is if Norwich are close to the bottom of the table rather than the middle of the table, then one of their rivals in Bournemouth who might also be close to the bottom, they know what Lewis Grabban could do.

He may not be first choice but they know that given the game time he could be a regular goalscorer at Bournemouth. If they let him go for a paltry sum of £3m then his goals, if they are the difference between survival and relegation, could cost them £130m next season if they face the drop.

If it was a club challenging for places higher up the table like Everton or Tottenham that wanted Lewis Grabban he would have already been sorted.

Mooted value of Berahino based on potential alone

The thing with Saido Berahino is that his potential is enormous. What you’ve seen at such a young age, means he could be absolutely anything.

He could get lost and not add much to Tottenham or he could help them really kick on, we don’t know.

At the end of the day the money that Manchester City paid for Raheem Sterling may have looked overpriced but ask them about him now and they will tell you that already in the first few games that he has played he was well worth the money.

It’s for the players to prove that on the one hand they can carry the transfer fee on their back that was paid, and that the manager gets a return and reward having shelled out a lot of money.

Potential wise, considering what is at stake in the Premier League, £25m could be money well spent if the England striker joins and is able to help Spurs push on to challenge for the top four.

Regarding all of three of the players mentioned, it could well be a risk of having unhappy players at your club if they are not released as are their wishes, but they are not on £250 a week, they’ll be getting paid very well by their clubs.

If we get to the situation where any of them decides to go on strike or something like that then the clubs will have no option to get the PFA involved to remind the player that they are the ones that pay his wages, he’s got to perform for us.

There would obviously be disappointment on their part if they doesn’t get the moves they wants but that’s just the way it goes but at the end of the day they are professionals and just have to get on with it.

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