Even if he made a mistake in the 3-2 loss to Bologna at the weekend, Chris Smalling comfortably remains Roma’s best centre-back this season.
On loan from Manchester United, the defender has won over fans and teammates alike, but also those above him in the hierarchy, like Gianluca Petrachi, the club’s director of football.
He did so very quickly, which led to numerous articles being written about how Roma could make the move permanent, but the price placed on the Englishman’s back by the Old Trafford club immediately complicated things.
It’s believed Ed Woodward and co. would need to see at least €18m in front of them to consider a sale, which the Italians would not be able to afford without Champions League qualification.
None of this is news, nor is the fact Smalling would be open to discuss a permanent stay, but that doesn’t stop the fact he is also ‘understandably tempted by the prospect of returning to Manchester’, as Corriere dello Sport put it.
That’s why the defender ‘won’t put up the barricades to stop the loan from running out’, as he knows he still has a chance to make it under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United and challenge the likes of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelöf for a starting spot.
Corriere explain there’s always the possibility Roma ask the Premier League side about the possibility of extending the loan by another year, much like they did a few years ago with Wojciech Szczesny, but there’s no guarantee their request would be considered.
A tricky situation, and perhaps an incentive for everyone to buck their ideas up and get that Champions League qualification, as they only sit three points behind fourth placed Atalanta with 15 games to go.
