New kit looks pretty good. When's the last time we've full on missed on one tbh? I'd say the radiation kit but some people like it somehow

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of signing John Stones, as long as it's to the right kind of contract.

Stones is one of the few players out there who has close to Saliba's level of ability, and who has a similar set of strengths, so he might work well with Gabriel. He may be injury prone, but he's currently uninjured and in good shape after the World Cup. He only needs to stay healthy until Saliba is back, and the start of the season is the time when Arsenal has a full week between matches, so if there are any niggles he has a bit more time to heal between matches. He'd also have a full pre-season to get into top shape. If he doesn't manage to stay healthy until Saliba returns, Arsenal still has other options like Mosquera, Hincapie, and maybe even White or Timber. But, since White and Timber are possibly still not at 100%, the longer Arsenal can go without having to run them into the ground, the better.

Say he remains uninjured, he's someone who can challenge for Saliba's spot, and/or rotate with him. He's one of the few players in the world who would have the experience and confidence to think that he could take Saliba's starting spot, which might push Saliba to improve his game. He might also be someone who's good to have in training or on the bench even if he isn't starting because he has lots of experience at the highest level. Currently Arsenal's veteran defenders are White and Gabriel at 28 who only have top-level experience at Arsenal, and everyone else is 25 or younger. We heard that having Norgaard around last season was really useful behind the scenes.

This is also the kind of deal that Stones is likely to want. He probably doesn't want to be signed at a club where he'll be expected to start 8 matches per month. Even if he's confident he's over his injuries, he must know that that kind of schedule will be the hardest on him. I'm sure ideally he wants a 5 year contract at a high wage, but he has to know he's unlikely to get that because people worry about his injuries. But, if he joined Arsenal he'd almost guarantee that he'd be starting fairly often while Saliba was out, so he'd be able to prove he's still got it and that he's not always injured. At Arsenal he might have to start 5+ matches per month until Saliba is back, but he could then dial it back, and maybe he and Saliba could each share about 4 matches per month, or more or less depending on who's performing well and who needs a rest. Theoretically, if Saliba is fully recovered by Christmas, Stones could join a new club in the winter transfer window too, having used the half-season to prove himself.

He also might be willing to take a 1 year deal, or 1+1 or something. If he proves he still has what it takes, and that he can stay healthy, he could maybe move on next year and get a good contract somewhere else. If his body lets him down, at least he played one final year at a club where he might get a medal.

Say Saliba is back at the start of December. That's 12 Premier League fixtures and 5 Champions League fixtures. If there are any League Cup fixtures in there, he wouldn't need to play them. Of those 12 Premier League fixtures, he could probably sit out Coventry, Forest and Leeds at a minimum. And, without knowing Arsenal's Champions League opponents, he could probably skip 2-3 of those matches too. So, he'd really only need to stay healthy for 10-12 matches over 4 months. He would also probably be sitting out the international breaks, so no chance of losing him during one of those, and more time to rest up.

I like the idea of bringing in one of the few players in the world who (when healthy) could actually come pretty close to doing what Saliba can do. And, I'm much less worried about bringing in a player who has had a history of injury problems if he's currently healthy and only needs to avoid injury for 4 months. Even if he only lasts 2 months, that might be enough for Arsenal to save / get points that wouldn't be possible with say Mosquera getting those minutes. I think Mosquera has a bright future, but there's currently a big dropoff in quality with him.

So, it really comes down to the kind of deal he gets. If he insists on a huge wage, a long-term deal, and no drop in wages if he's injured, then that's no good. But, if he agrees to a short deal with very high wages when he plays and much lower wages when he doesn't, that could be ideal. If he turns out to be a monster of a player with no injury issues, and even keeps a healthy Saliba out of the starting 11, then who cares if he's earning 400k/week, because even then there's no transfer fee to pay down.

tl;dr: Stones on a free, even at a high wage, is probably worth a gamble.