Roma press on Smalling. The best defender from the Giallorossi, who, together with fellow Giallorossi Abraham, saved the victory over Bologna, is due to expire in June and has not yet given a response to the club, which has been proposing him to renew his contract for over a month, without even waiting for the number of presences that makes it automatic. Tiago Pinto also offered his prosecutor a two-year, slightly lower figures than the current ones, but the player and his entourage took time, reserving to give a response later.
There has been a lot of talk recently about Inter’s involvement, but this is not true. Smalling has however offered to return to the Premier, where the engagements are decidedly higher than in the Serie A. In Trigoria the alarm has gone off, his eventual loss would be a big problem for Roma, who doesn’t have a lot of resources to invest in finding another leading central defender, given that he hasn’t been able to meet Mourinho’s demands for a year, who had asked for one to be included in the shortlist. Smalling remained in contact with Mkhitaryan, his friend from United and also with Dzeko, with whom he had bonded in the first year of Rome. He’s looking around, knowing that what he’s going to sign will be the last major contract of his career, considering he turned 33 in November. Inter will probably lose Skriniar in June, but right now they have other priorities.
Irreplaceable
Smalling as a performance is one of the best defenders in the Serie A, Mourinho would not want to lose him, he considers him the backguard pillar. He is an untouchable, just see the appearances of this season: 16 out of 16 in Serie A and 6 out of 6 in Europa League. He missed only 28 minutes in the home win against Monza at the end of August and the first half of the match against Helsinki at the Olimpico. He is the most used Roma player, even Rui Patricio has played less than him. In the league he solved many problems at Roma, he knows how to lead the defense, he manages to close early on the attacking opponents. At the restart of the championship, against Bologna, he canceled Arnautovic, the vice top scorer of the Serie A, in a physical duel of the highest level. He has all the qualities of a great defender: tactical intelligence, which means having a sense of position, header, advance. At the restart of the championship he was in excellent shape. He put behind him the many physical problems that had tormented him in 2021. Infiamazioni knee, muscle injuries. He changed his work methods, he trusted an osteopath, he works every day with great professionalism. With Mourinho there had been some disagreements in Manchester, but in Rome Chris immediately became one of the points of reference in the field of the coach. He is not only a defensive bulwark, but he has made his contribution in the offensive phase, with three goals against Cremonese, Inter and Lecce that have brought as many victories. Opponents fear physical strength. Smalling is almost two meters tall, in the air game is almost unsurpassed, when he pushes forward in the corner kicks often mark him in two.
The Giallorossi offer
English expires in June and the renewal clause is exercisable exclusively by him, not by the company. The Roma proposal provides for two options: renewal of one year at the same current figures (3.5 million), a two-year extension for a total of five million. Tiago Pinto has been waiting for a long time, but he is not prepared to deal with the proposed figures. The desire of the club is to continue the relationship, but the last word is now up to Chris.
