Different sources claim that the Italian professional football team Roma has already agreed to ink a deal with Chris Smalling on loan from the Old Trafford for the remainder of the season. Roma has been looking for a new defender and initially considered Liverpool center-back Dejan Lovren. But, it seems that the Italian team based in Rome has shifted its attention to Manchester United's Chris Smalling.
Fabrizio Romano, an Italian football journalist shared that the transfer of Chris Smalling to Roma was given the green light with the Serie A team shelling out €3 million or around £2.7 million to borrow the Defender from Manchester United. The news was confirmed by Sky Sport's Gianluca Di Marzio. Manchester Evening News Samuel Luckhurst revealed more details and shared that Smalling has attracted the interest of other Italian teams like AC Milan and Fiorentina.
Chris Smalling to AS Roma from Man United, here we go! Total agreement for a simple loan (€3M to Man Utd) without buy option. The player has accepted. #MUFC #Roma #transfers — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 29, 2019
Chris Smalling attracting interest from Italy before the European deadline. AC Milan, Fiorentina and Roma all believed to be interested. Remains to be seen whether Smalling would uproot his Young family when he’s so settled. Story up soon @ManUtdMEN. #mufc — Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) August 29, 2019
Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge of Manchester United last December, Chris Smalling has fallen down the roster. Additionally, the arrival of former Leicester City defender Harry Maguire for a world-record fee last August seemed to limit opportunities for the Englishman. Considering these factors, it is no longer a surprise to see Chris Smalling moving to another team.
Earlier this summer, Everton FC's loan offer for Chris Smalling was rejected, but it looks like the English defender is now bound to the Eternal City. ESPN's Alex Shaw noted that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is responsible for the way he callously assessed his team. Chris Smalling moved from Fulham to Manchester United in 2010 and was popular for being one of the most interesting defensive potentials in English football.
Those are big names and personalities he has ditched. Sure, the United squad is paper thin but I'd wager the majority would prefer seeing Tuanzebe get a chance than Smalling (a decent, albeit limited servant) or wasters like Rojo. — Alex Shaw (@AlexShawESPN) August 29, 2019
During the course of his stay at the Old Trafford, the team won a couple of Premier League titles, the UEFA Europa League and the FA Cup. But, despite this, critics believe that Chris Smalling has not lived up to the expectations and to his early potential. His distribution is subpar as compared to other center-backs for play for the elite tier. Also, he has the tendency to be erratic at times.
With Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire being the starting duo for the Red Devils, it is just sensible on the part of the 29 years old Englishman to venture a new challenge on another team. It would be interesting to see how Chris Smalling fares in Italian football. Smalling is expected to fill in the void left by Kostas Manolas at Roma.
