Chris Smalling is entering the final months of his contract with Roma. While there’s a clause to prolong it if he reaches a quota of appearances, it’s not automatic, and the will of the player will be decisive.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, another year will be added if the defender plays in 50 percent of the matches. Depending on how far they go in Europe and Coppa Italia, Roma will have around 45/50 fixtures this season. The veteran has avoided injuries and has already racked up 21 appearances.
Smalling needs just a handful of games to activate the extension with Roma. However, he’ll have to sign off on it at the end of the season and will have until June 30th to do so. He’ll be in the same position as Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the summer of 2021. The Armenian attacker eventually re-upped, but he took all the time at this disposal, slightly delaying the team’s transfer market plans.
The Giallorossi are confident the center-back is happy to stay and won’t leave them hanging for long. However, the structure of his contract leaves them vulnerable. The management is already seeking another option to round out their corps. They’d have to sign an elite one if they lost their cornerstone.
Our Take on Roma and Smalling
The Englishman has aged like fine wine and has been one of the best defenders in Italy in the past two seasons. At 33, he still has at least two or three years at high levels ahead of him. The Giallorossi are already stretched thin and better make sure he stays, even at the cost of renegotiating his contract.
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |