Smalling loan watch

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Love this kind of stuff. I know a lot of players do it and it’s not a big deal for them (although if they did respond the every request they wouldn’t have time to play football), but it’s such a great thing for the kids.

Brilliant :)
 

top1whoisman

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"There is a chance," Gianluca Petrachi (Roma Sporting Director) told the Daily Mail about the possibility of taking Smalling on a permanent deal. "The player will choose what to do. If he really wishes, we will be happy to have him with us permanently.

"We are very happy with Smalling and he knows it. With Manchester United, the relationship is excellent, we have an excellent feeling with the club."
 

Kostov

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Bring this guy back in the summer. Maguire, Smalling, Tuanzebe, and one of Lindelof or Bailly (depending if the later can prove to stay injury free) would be a good set of defenders.
 

Dante

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I've always liked Smalling.

But I can't see that anything has changed for him at United. His shortcomings are still going to be there, and the manager will continue to have the same concerns.

If Ole didn't believe he was first team material in 2019, I doubt he'll change his mind in 2020.
 

MikeKing

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I've always liked Smalling.

But I can't see that anything has changed for him at United. His shortcomings are still going to be there, and the manager will continue to have the same concerns.

If Ole didn't believe he was first team material in 2019, I doubt he'll change his mind in 2020.
It is human to make mistakes. It would be very dumb to make the same mistake twice. Failure to bring him back will mean that once again we're not looking to upgrade our defence and will keep relying on the magical trio of Phil Jones, Bailly and Lindelof. :rolleyes: I think Ole knows what he has to do. Loaning him was a good idea if he brings him back, because there has been no excuses for our other set of defenders this season. Nobody is blaming our slow passing and hoofing the ball on Smalling anymore:lol: Some people all of a sudden do not seem as concerned about on the ball ability anymore either. Seeing as the bag of nerves Lindelof gets so much praise. If we ultimately decide to sell Smalling to keep that trio of shit defenders alive, while simultaneously failing to provide an adequate partner to Maguire who we just spent 90m on.. that wont work out for us.

With such a young squad should be in the market for an experienced defender, someone who is quick enough to cover for Maguire and aggressive enough to play in a high line. It doesn't have to be Smalling but why spend money when we have what we need. We should instead be thinking of selling the deadwood and look to buy a big CB talent to compete with Smalling, Maguire and Lindelof/Tuanzebe/Bailly. We can afford to take some time to scout Europe for the right young CB, but not if we have 4 unreliable and injury prone backups as starters.
 

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From Smallings perspective; he has a few good years left, and right now he should be more or less at his peak. I can see how he would prefer Roma those last years.
He would be more or less guaranteed to play every game.
There is much lower injury risk in Italy compared to the PL. He is getting older and playing matches every third day cost.
There is not so intense pressure compared to PL which I think suits him well. I have seen a couple of games with him and his passing is much better and adventurous at Roma than it was at United. I believe this is thanks to less press.
It also seems like they value him and appreciate him more. He is simply one of the best players in the team but in United he doesn’t even know if he will play.
 

A-man

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Personally I am a fan of the idea of rotating Maguire, Lindelof and Smalling. Depending of what kind of game they can play 3 at the back or pick the two that suit the game. There are some things that make me doubt Smalling and Maguire fit together but in some games against certain opponents it could work.
Tuanzebe has been a huge disappointment so far. Mostly because of his fitness but imo he is not at PL level yet. Jones has been decent but is often injured when needed, so not a reliable backup. Bailly is always injured and hasn’t impressed his last seasons. Can’t see any reason to not wanting to bring back Smalling. Today two CBs have played more or less every game and when one extra is needed Ole has picked Shaw.
 
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Isotope

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Maguire, Smalling, Lindelof, and Tuanzebe are a set of centerbacks that good enough for a Club with ambition. Smalling could provide another 3 years of service, so then the Club can put more effort on upgrading other positions.
 

Bastian

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Watched Roma against Bologna, which they lost 2-3. Only really interested because of Smalling. He wasn't great. At fault for Bologna's first goal and generally looked shaky. Did some things well, but not really worthy of the hyperbole that's taken place since he left. Granted, he's a much better defender than Jones, and defensively he's a much better player than Lindelof, but for me he's not the quality required (nor are the other two).

I did think last pre-season that Bailly would likely be off. Then he got injured. There were presumably no takers for Jones, but didn't he get a new contract under Ole (as well as Smalling)?

Anyhow, I'm not seeing the world class defender others are raving about.
 

izec

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Had another handball in the penalty box today, where he wanted to head the ball away but caught it with his arm. Luckily for him, they were 2 goals up. The first goal they conceded was class to be fair, but Smalling could have maybe done more and got tighter, but it was a class goal.

He isnt all that, people are overrating him. Roma will concede as much goals this season as the last one. If you factor in the PL and change of scenery, it would be the same here as before. He didn't turn into a world class defender there. He would be fighting it out with Lindelöf and Bailly for that 2nd/3rd spot. We would still be craving for a better CB.

Take the 15m and run.
 

Ekeke

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If Roma don't present £20 million up front for Smalling then they dont really want him.

They'd have to pay at least twice that for a new player to replace his performances next season. He's already there and settled in, being their best player in a lot of matches. Not having the money is bs. They spent £26 million on a lb last summer who has been nowhere near as good as Smalling and they received £32 million for Manolas, who Smalling replaced and has played better than this season.

If they say they want him and can't afford £20 million then they better give us Zaniolo, Under or Kluivert for cheap in part exchange for Smalling. They dont need 3 young talents for 2 spots.
 

ColvaleGoa

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Wouldn't there be a queue for Smalling's signature considering he has had a very impressive loan outing in Italy?
 

Isotope

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Might as well keep him for next season, at least. With the recent on the up forms, we need to give all we've got to be back on the map.
Jones, Rojo, Baily and Tuanzebe are unreliable fitness wise.
 

hobbers

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People getting carried away by his performances. He's been 'meh' in a Roma side that have been poor defensively, considering they're 8th for goals conceded.

He's still terrible on the ball for a top level defender. He's not a bad squad option but that's about it, level with Lindelof. If nobody else wants him badly enough to make a proper offer, well that's fairly indicative isn't it.
 

Red_toad

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People getting carried away by his performances. He's been 'meh' in a Roma side that have been poor defensively, considering they're 8th for goals conceded.

He's still terrible on the ball for a top level defender. He's not a bad squad option but that's about it, level with Lindelof. If nobody else wants him badly enough to make a proper offer, well that's fairly indicative isn't it.
He's statistically one of the best performing defenders in the league there. Watched him a few times and he's been very impressive for them. If Roma try and low ball United, then the club will simply sell him to another club. I'm pretty much meh on your opinion of his performances, as you've obviously not watched many of their games.
 

Ekeke

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Wouldn't there be a queue for Smalling's signature considering he has had a very impressive loan outing in Italy?
You would think so but Smalling has had an anomalous career thus far. He tends to be underrated so we'll just have to see if the likes of Lazio, Inter, Atalanta, Napoli and Milan want to spend £20 million or more on him. The stats say its a no brainer and someone else would be in a bidding war in his position, but who knows what'll happen. Italian clubs are sometimes a bit cheap or they want to do loans with an eventual payment.

Personally I'd say he'd be a good signing for any Serie A team even Juventus. But I'm not in charge of any of their transfer dealings
 

11101

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Wouldn't there be a queue for Smalling's signature considering he has had a very impressive loan outing in Italy?
I'm sure he could get a permanent move somewhere in Italy. He's been decent for Roma but his shortcomings remain. They've had a shit defence for a couple of years now, he's been good individually but he's not come in and sorted them out the way they might have hoped a Manchester United veteran could.
 

Craig Ward

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The talk of using Smalling as rotation is pretty much baffling to me.

He was loaned out for a reason, the reason being he has no future here. He is not god enough.

He's gone to a weaker league, to a worse team and performed "ok". He hasn't magially turned into a top class CB, he's still the same player.

Ole has likely determined that the following had no futures and we're available:
Smalling/Jones/Rojo.
And that the following would need to prove themselves:
Tuanzebe/Bailly

The issue was interest, all 3 could have gone but he had to make decisions based on who he could ship out. Smalling and Rojo have gone and there was no interest in Jones (shock)

Smalling isnt the answer and would represent a massive step back if we was to re-integrate him to our first team squad. He needs to be shipped off permanently and soon.

The loan was designed for him to get game time and make himself available for a permanent transfer, the loan has done that.
 

roseguy64

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The talk of using Smalling as rotation is pretty much baffling to me.

He was loaned out for a reason, the reason being he has no future here. He is not god enough.

He's gone to a weaker league, to a worse team and performed "ok". He hasn't magially turned into a top class CB, he's still the same player.

Ole has likely determined that the following had no futures and we're available:
Smalling/Jones/Rojo.
And that the following would need to prove themselves:
Tuanzebe/Bailly

The issue was interest, all 3 could have gone but he had to make decisions based on who he could ship out. Smalling and Rojo have gone and there was no interest in Jones (shock)

Smalling isnt the answer and would represent a massive step back if we was to re-integrate him to our first team squad. He needs to be shipped off permanently and soon.

The loan was designed for him to get game time and make himself available for a permanent transfer, the loan has done that.
You must have a direct line to Man Utd's thoughts.
 

Sassy Colin

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The talk of using Smalling as rotation is pretty much baffling to me.

He was loaned out for a reason, the reason being he has no future here. He is not god enough.

He's gone to a weaker league, to a worse team and performed "ok". He hasn't magially turned into a top class CB, he's still the same player.

Ole has likely determined that the following had no futures and we're available:
Smalling/Jones/Rojo.
And that the following would need to prove themselves:
Tuanzebe/Bailly

The issue was interest, all 3 could have gone but he had to make decisions based on who he could ship out. Smalling and Rojo have gone and there was no interest in Jones (shock)

Smalling isnt the answer and would represent a massive step back if we was to re-integrate him to our first team squad. He needs to be shipped off permanently and soon.

The loan was designed for him to get game time and make himself available for a permanent transfer, the loan has done that.
He's no god, no, but he's still quite good.

He wanted guaranteed minutes and playing time, which Ole couldn't offer him. All things being equal, with the benefit of hindsight, it might have been better to partner him with Magure rather than Lindlehof.
 

Craig Ward

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He's no god, no, but he's still quite good.

He wanted guaranteed minutes and playing time, which Ole couldn't offer him. All things being equal, with the benefit of hindsight, it might have been better to partner him with Magure rather than Lindlehof.
With respect to Smalling, he's been here nearly a decade. We know what he offers, and it isnt good enough

His time here is over
 

Craig Ward

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You must have a direct line to Man Utd's thoughts.
isnt it obvious?

Seems logical to me, and based on whats happened im not far off anyway

if we wanna stay the same/go backwards lets start playing Smalling again and see where we are, may as well re-sign Ashley Young while we're at it
 

Sassy Colin

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With respect to Smalling, he's been here nearly a decade. We know what he offers, and it isnt good enough

His time here is over
isnt it obvious?

Seems logical to me, and based on whats happened im not far off anyway

if we wanna stay the same/go backwards lets start playing Smalling again and see where we are, may as well re-sign Ashley Young while we're at it
feck's sake mate, did he run over your pet hamster?
 

Ekeke

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The talk of using Smalling as rotation is pretty much baffling to me.

He was loaned out for a reason, the reason being he has no future here. He is not god enough.

He's gone to a weaker league, to a worse team and performed "ok". He hasn't magially turned into a top class CB, he's still the same player.

Ole has likely determined that the following had no futures and we're available:
Smalling/Jones/Rojo.
And that the following would need to prove themselves:
Tuanzebe/Bailly

The issue was interest, all 3 could have gone but he had to make decisions based on who he could ship out. Smalling and Rojo have gone and there was no interest in Jones (shock)

Smalling isnt the answer and would represent a massive step back if we was to re-integrate him to our first team squad. He needs to be shipped off permanently and soon.

The loan was designed for him to get game time and make himself available for a permanent transfer, the loan has done that.
He's been better than all our CBs other than Maguire, and Maguire too if you just look at the defending. Maguire has been much better on the ball so overall hes better.

So no, he might not be "god" enough, but to improve on our CBs you don't need to be god. You just need to be a good defender.
 

Ekeke

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isnt it obvious?

Seems logical to me, and based on whats happened im not far off anyway

if we wanna stay the same/go backwards lets start playing Smalling again and see where we are, may as well re-sign Ashley Young while we're at it
Backwards like 17/18 when we had a much better defensive record than we have this season with Smalling starting?

28 goals in 38 premier league games.

This season we have 30 goals conceded in 29 games. Even if the season was called off and finished now we'd still have conceded less in the entire 17/18 season than just 29 games this season.

I'm guessing you weren't following United in 17/18 though so maybe it doesnt matter.
 

Ekeke

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As for how well Smalling and Roma's defense have done this season

Roma 19/20 = 35 goals conceded in 26 games
Roma 18/19 = 48 goals conceded in 38 games

Almost identical to last season for Roma, so far. Despite selling a CB for £32.4 million to Napoli and replacing him with Smalling on loan. So thats pretty much his value
 

romufc

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With respect to Smalling, he's been here nearly a decade. We know what he offers, and it isnt good enough

His time here is over
Pretty much this.

We have seen what he offers and we may in the past have had great defending stats but we didnt look solid. There is a difference when DDG is pulling off worldies every game.

We have never looked secure with Smalling.

Currently, we look very good defensively, and every player is buying into the style. There is no point having a rotation option which would mean we need to change style of football.

What happens when Lindelof or Baily (whoever first choice is) and we have to play Smalling for 10 games, shall we change the style of play?

Or we can have Tuanzebe as backup who can play the football.
 

Ekeke

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Pretty much this.

We have seen what he offers and we may in the past have had great defending stats but we didnt look solid. There is a difference when DDG is pulling off worldies every game.

We have never looked secure with Smalling.

Currently, we look very good defensively, and every player is buying into the style. There is no point having a rotation option which would mean we need to change style of football.

What happens when Lindelof or Baily (whoever first choice is) and we have to play Smalling for 10 games, shall we change the style of play?

Or we can have Tuanzebe as backup who can play the football.

We scored a lot more goals and conceded a lot less goals 2 seasons ago than this season.

Obviously this "play football" lark is a con.

We were better at playing football matches 2 seasons ago.
 

Toad

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People getting carried away by his performances. He's been 'meh' in a Roma side that have been poor defensively, considering they're 8th for goals conceded.

He's still terrible on the ball for a top level defender. He's not a bad squad option but that's about it, level with Lindelof. If nobody else wants him badly enough to make a proper offer, well that's fairly indicative isn't it.
I haven’t watched much of him in Italy. Does he still pull shirts regularly?
 

Gordon S

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We scored a lot more goals and conceded a lot less goals 2 seasons ago than this season.

Obviously this "play football" lark is a con.

We were better at playing football matches 2 seasons ago.
You enjoyed Mourinhos ”hoof it to a big guy upfront tactics?
 

Craig Ward

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I enjoyed us coming 2nd and Liverpool 4th. I dont think theres been significantly more enjoyable football from us this season than that one
If you cant see the progress of transitioning the squad and how much more unified the squad is now, then you'll never enjoy watching us again.

Your very narrow minded and stuck in the past