Chris Smalling (Getty Images)
According to Corriere dello Sport (h/t The Sun), Tottenham are planning to rope in Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, who is currently on loan with Serie A side AS Roma.
The report also suggests that United are likely to sell Smalling after Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have established themselves as the first choice. Hence, Jose Mourinho should add the former Fulham man to his squad.
Smalling, 30, joined Manchester United in 2010 after two impressive seasons with Fulham and slowly became United’s first-choice in the heart of the defence. He did a decent job in his initial years at Old Trafford but in the past few seasons, he hasn’t been at his best. He was sent on loan to Roma last summer.
Despite pulling themselves out of the bottom half of the table, the Lilywhites have struggled to maintain consistency.
Their defence has struggled to put in a string of good performances. They have conceded 34 goals so far, which is the most among the top seven clubs in the league standings. Hence, adding a defensive reinforcement would work well for the North Londoners.
Centre-backs Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, and Davinson Sanchez haven’t been stable and their performance has dipped by a large margin this campaign. The Belgian duo was at its best last season when Tottenham reached the finals on the Champions League.
Though Alderweireld is experienced, he made a big defensive mistake against Aston Villa that led to Dean Smith’s men taking the lead. Age seems to have caught up with the former Ajax man. Likewise, Vertonghen has fallen down the pecking order after failing to impress Mourinho.
Sanchez has had his fair share of game time but hasn’t been rock-solid at the back while youngster Juan Foyth is nowhere to been seen. With a lack of quality and depth in the defensive unit, Mourinho should look to bring in defenders to add depth to the squad in the summer. And going for Smalling would be wise.
The 30-year-old is enjoying a good season with Roma despite the club being six points away from the Champions League qualification spot. His performance has been brilliant and he also has 2 goals and 1 assist to his name. He looks like a player reborn after moving to Serie A on loan.
The Englishman has featured in 323 games for the Red Devils and his experience would be helpful for Spurs.
Tottenham are in dire need of defensive cover and Smalling would be a good choice as he is still capable of playing at the highest level. He may not be the best but he can add value to the team. Hence, Mourinho must look to sign him in the summer and bolster their defensive unit and the defender can look to end his time in England.
