If you could travel back in time and tell yourself five years ago just how formidable Chris Smalling would be for Roma, what reaction would you have got?
With his journey with the club now complete, after he signed for Al-Fayha in the Saudi Pro League, Smalling deserves the spotlight to be shone on him one last time for what he accomplished at Roma, on an individual and team level.
By the time he joined Roma on loan from Manchester United in 2019, he hadn’t even been linked with the club long enough for the general reaction to be anything other than shock. Imagine what response you would have got if you’d been able to say at the time just how well Smalling was about to do. What followed had to be seen to be believed. It transpired that Roma hadn’t just taken a Man Utd reject. They’d welcomed their new warrior.
Smalling’s addition completed Roma’s defensive transformation in the summer 2019. The club’s recently appointed coach of the time, Paulo Fonseca, demanded fast centre-backs capable of playing in a high line. Financial Fair Play regulations had prompted the sale of Kostas Manolas earlier in the summer, while Federico Fazio was not suited to Fonseca’s style. Roma needed two new starting centre-backs.
Gianluca Mancini, then a major Italian prospect, was the first through the door from Atalanta. However, he had to wait until 30th August to discover who his centre-back partner would be, when in a surprise development that journalists hadn’t seen coming until literally the day before, Smalling left English football for the first time in his career to join the Giallorossi after falling down the pecking order at Man Utd in the wake of their big-money move for Harry Maguire. The loan deal for Smalling cost Roma €3m, a fee they would soon have no regrets about.
Identified as an ideal fit for Fonseca’s tactics, Smalling instantly became a defensive leader. While the older Fazio was still on the books, Smalling became Roma’s senior defender as he built up the more regular starting partnership between himself and Mancini.
His early performances were promising. Smalling was acclimatising well in a league that can be notoriously difficult to adapt to. He had no such problems. The focus was on him as a protagonist and he was thriving.
Smalling’s outstanding debut season with Roma ended with 37 appearances and three goals, which had made him the first Englishman to score for the club. In a transitional year for Roma, he had been their best player. At the age of 30, he had found a new home. Now he just had to stay in it.
Protracted negotiations were the theme of the summer of 2020 transfer window. Man Utd didn’t seem willing to reintegrate Smalling, but they had realised he may have been more valuable than they thought. It took Roma right until the extended deadline of 5th October to strike a compromise that would bring Smalling back to Italy. For an initial €15m, he became a permanent Roma player.
Unfortunately, his summer separated from any group training had consequences on his subsequent form. The 2020-21 season culminated in Roma’s lowest Serie A finish for nine years; despite the emergence of Roger Ibanez, the fact that Smalling was only able to play in 16 of the 38 league games was a major contributing factor in the team’s deteriorating fortunes, which led to the decision not to renew Fonseca’s contract as head coach.
If his fitness issues weren’t concerning enough, Roma’s choice of replacement for Fonseca raised eyebrows about Smalling’s future. The public perception was that Jose Mourinho and Smalling did not have the strongest mutual relationship when they worked together before at Man Utd, despite winning the Europa League in 2017. Yet this time, upon their shockwave-inducing reunion, Smalling would be fundamental under Mourinho. And within 12 months they would win a European trophy together again.
Mourinho used Smalling 38 times during the 2021-22 season, soon understanding why his former pupil had become so highly regarded in Italy. Often the central figure in his back-three formation, flanked by Mancini and Ibanez, Smalling was the glue of Roma’s defence. Tough in the tackle, exceptional at reading the game and far better on the ball than his previous detractors had given him credit for, Smalling was rediscovering his prime form. It all reached a pinnacle one fateful night in Tirana.
Having qualified for the inaugural Europa Conference League, Roma ultimately reached the final after a journey that included a return to England for Smalling against Leicester City. The last time Roma had played in a European final, Smalling was one-and-a-half years old. But it didn’t take much educating for the players to realise the magnitude of the occasion. And as a feisty battle with Feyenoord commenced, Roma rose to the challenge.
Smalling was the best player on the pitch as Roma won the Conference League final. He was an impenetrable shield in the centre of what was, to some viewers, the busier of the two defences. Roma keeping a clean sheet owed heavily to their number six. His performance in helping Roma to a rare trophy immortalised him.
Roma had a springboard to build from and Smalling was central to their project once again. The 2022-23 season turned out to be his busiest at Roma, and in fact the second busiest of his entire career. Fairly early in it, he reached a century of appearances for La Magica. In total, he played 47 times, guiding Roma to a second consecutive European final, but this time luck was against them.
Nevertheless, Smalling’s consistent displays earned him a contract renewal in the summer of 2023. But lightning was about to strike for a second time, as following his fresh signing of terms, he would suffer through an injury-riddled season. 2023-24 would turn out to be his last with Roma.
After 155 appearances for the Lupi, Smalling’s time was up. In September 2024, five years after his arrival in Italy, he accepted an offer from Al-Fayha in the Saudi Pro League. And although his final season was underwhelming, by getting out of Roma at the time he did, he may have preserved his legacy. For three out of five seasons, he was excellent for Roma. His lasting impression at the club remains overwhelmingly positive.
In the aftermath of his exit, the discourse on social media has turned to how highly he ranks among Roma’s greatest defenders in recent memory. Many posts are prefaced by the phrase: ‘Roma’s best defender since…’. And in lots of cases, you have to go back 10, 15 or even 20 years to finish that sentence.
Whichever timeframe you prefer, there are some strong centre-backs to stand up against, but it’s worth remembering that some of them only stayed – or performed well – for one season. Smalling, although not interrupted, gave Roma three of his absolute prime years. And what a joy to behold they were.
While it wasn’t the longest spell of his career, Smalling’s Roma chapter contained plenty of significant moments and memories. It was more than just an epilogue to a decent career; it was its own story of revival, redemption and the earning of new adoration.
Leave a Reply