This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
It seems that Chris Smalling’s loan spell at Roma has done him a world of good.
Ever since he swapped England for Italy, the 30-year-old centre-back has found his long-lost groove.
Now, he’s Roma’s best performer in the 2019/20 campaign with a rating of 7.48 according to Whoscored. Not only that, but he’s managed to bag two goals and one assist during the ongoing season.
His defensive record is sound as well since he is averaging one tackle, 1.9 interceptions and 4.5 aerials won per game for the Gladiators, which are impressive figures for the now reformed Manchester United outcast.
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And those performances have now caught the eye of some other clubs such as Juventus and Inter Milan, as per some new reports coming from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Metro).
Manchester United are hoping to acquire £18m for their loanee.
And while there are certainly cases to be made for both Inter and Roma getting a hold of the player, Juventus should stay as far away from him as possible.
The Bianconeri already have two veteran centre-backs in the form of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, both of whom are on the wrong side of their 30s, and three talented young players with Matthijs de Ligt, Daniele Rugani and Merih Demiral.
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By all accounts, adding in another 30-year-old into the mix would do them absolutely no good, especially considering that he would potentially take away valuable minutes from the players who need it more than him.
There’s no denying that Smalling has been pretty good so far – the numbers are proof enough – but if there’s one area Maurizio Sarri shouldn’t really tamper with too much, then it’s the centre of his defence.
Be that as it may, it seems that with all of those teams fighting to land his signature, the club that will prosper from it no matter what is actually Manchester United.
How ever we turn it, they are the ones who could cash in on the player they sent away in the first place.
We’ll have to wait and see who comes out on top in this transfer saga.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund are taking the wrong stance with their star who’s being targeted by Manchester United themselves…