Why Newcastle United should make a move for Chris Smalling
According to Chronicle Live, Newcastle United have been offered the chance to sign Manchester United star Chris Smalling this summer.
The report suggests that Smalling would be well down in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s pecking order at Old Trafford and he is unlikely to stay at United. However, with Roma struggling to meet his £20m valuation, Newcastle are interested in the defender, along with Fulham.
Profile
The London-born defender started his journey with Millwall’s youth system and joined Maidstone’s U19 squad. However, after a year with the latter’s senior set-up, he was signed by Fulham on a free transfer. Two years later, in the summer of 2010, Manchester United picked him up.
He was with the Red Devils for nine years and made 323 appearances, winning several trophies with the club including two league titles, a Europa League title and three English Super cups.
However, he was sent on loan for the 2019/20 after falling down the pecking order. He enjoyed a successful loan spell with Roma. He has also made 31 appearances for the English national side.
Smalling could be a leader in Newcastle’s defence
Apart from their goalscoring problems, Steve Bruce’s men also failed at the back miserably which led to them dropping down to 13th position by the end of the season. They conceded 58 goals in 38 games which is not good enough for a club aiming to finish in the top half of the table.
Despite having a plethora of centre-backs in their squad, they have failed to defend well. Hence, they need to recruit experienced central defenders if they have to do better in the next campaign. Club captain Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar are injured at the moment and their return to the squad at the start of the next seasons remains doubtful.
Moreover, Florian Lejeune has attracted interest from Ligue 1 and could exit the club this summer, as per the report.
Schar, Federico Fernandez and Ciaran Clark have entered the final year of their contracts with the club and their potential departures would limit Newcastle’s resources at the back. Thus, making a move for Smalling would help them reduce the burden.
Despite falling out of favour at United, the English international had a tremendous campaign with Roma and can still play at a higher level. He has already made 383 appearances at a higher level and his experience would come in handy for the Magpies in the following campaigns.
Smalling would be a useful addition to the squad and can provide them with depth and quality at the back.
Read more
- Why Newcastle have made the right choice by sending Jake Turner out on loan
- Why Wilmar Barrios to Newcastle United would bolster their midfield
Verdict
At 30, Smalling still has a few years left to play and can be a leader for Newcastle if the aforementioned names leave in the near future. He has immense experience and still looks to be in good form. Thus, Newcastle signing him would be a smart move by the club.
