Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Chris Smalling back to the Premier League next summer.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet CalcioMercatoWeb, who claim that, should Antonio Conte miss out on the signing of Inter Milan centre-back Stefan de Vrij, the 53-year-old could turn his attention to the AS Roma defender, who the Italian manager ‘does not stop thinking about’.
The report goes on to state Juventus and Inter are also interested in a move for the former England international at the end of the current campaign – when the 33-year-old looks likely to become available on a free transfer – although it is suggested that Smalling would prefer a move back to England ahead of one to another Serie A side.
Ideal De Vrij substitute
Considering the quite remarkable “remontada” – in the words of Amos Murphy – Smalling has enjoyed since joining Roma permanently from Manchester United in an £18m deal in the summer of 2020, it is not difficult to see why, should Conte miss out on the signing of De Vrij, the Italian would be interested in a deal to bring the centre-back to north London as an alternative.
Indeed, over his 15 Serie A appearances so far this season, the £6.9m-rated talent has been a rock in the heart of Jose Mourinho’s backline, helping the Giallorossi keep three clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 0.6 tackles, 4.5 clearances and winning 4.5 duels per game.
The £80k-per-week defender has also caught the eye going forwards, having already hit the back of the net with three headers, as well as taking an average of 0.6 shots, playing 1.9 long balls and completing 34.3 passes – at a success rate of 88% – per match.
These returns have seen the 31-cap international average an extremely impressive Sofascore match rating of 7.08, currently ranking him as Roma’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of Italian football.
This level of form has not only attracted admiring glances from the likes of Spurs, Inter and Juve, but it also saw The Athletic’s James Horncastle put together a case for the 33-year-old to earn a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Qatar World Cup this winter.
Furthermore, with Paulo Fonseca previously stating his belief in an interview with The Athletic that Smalling has the “ideal characteristics for Italian football” as “it’s not easy to find centre-backs who are as fast and aggressive” as the Englishman, it is quite clear that the centre-back would very much suit Conte’s style down to the ground.
As such, should Tottenham and the 53-year-old manager go on to miss out on the signing of De Vrij, it would indeed seem an extremely wise move for the Italian to launch a move for the former United star as a substitute, as ‘Smaldini’ would appear to be an ideal alternative to the Inter Milan centre-half.
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