Roberto Martínez hailed John Stones for producing a performance that “puts a smile on your face” as the defender put speculation about his future to one side and emerged with credit from Everton’s 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester City.
Despite Chelsea continuing their pursuit of Stones and the potential for him to be distracted by it, Martínez selected the England international and his faith was rewarded by a typically assured display, albeit in a losing cause.
As footage emerged in which Jon Woods, the Everton director, is seen telling a fan that neither he nor Bill Kenwright, the club’s chairman, will sanction the sale of Stones because “there aren’t many days to go” in the transfer window, Martínez delivered a similarly emphatic message.
He said: “That is the plan and that is why we have been enjoying so much of his development. We have seen John grow in the last two years. We have our own objectives and want to become a winning team.
“It puts a smile on your face when you see a player like John defending the way he does. He is an incredible footballer and to be able to organise things at such a young age shows what a talented footballer he is.”
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With Everton closing in on deals to sign Leandro Rodríguez, a forward, from River Plate for £500,000 and Ramiro Funes Mori, a centre back, for £6.25 million from the same club, Martínez is hoping to conclude three incoming transfers in the coming days.
“We will find out more about Funes Mori in the next 24 hours,” Martínez said. “He was able to attend the game today due to the agreement we have with River Plate. He is a left-footed centre half who won the Copa Libertadores and will fit into our squad really well and bring a winning mentality.”
Martínez absolved Tim Howard of any blame for Everton’s loss to City, even though the veteran goalkeeper had been beaten at his near post for the game’s opening goal, scored by Aleksandar Kolarov. Instead, the Everton manager highlighted how easily his team had conceded possession in the build-up to the goal and praised Howard for the quality of his performance.
“I am very disappointed at how we gave the ball away,” Martínez said. “We didn’t want David Silva to have time to turn and that allowed [Raheem] Sterling and Kolarov to overlap. Maybe the goalkeeper could rescue it but the mistake was to allow Man City to have that counterattack. I thought Tim was special, he had four or five saves when he was at his best. I don’t think it would be fair for me to criticise him.”