The Corriere dello Sport today takes stock of Roma’s market in the defensive field: the idea of the Giallorossi club is to make a real “switch” of experience between Chris Smalling And Mats Hummels. The English defender is out, the German center back is in. The former is 34 years old, the latter 35 but physically he looks five years younger: the Englishman has too often been affected by injuries and at the moment has no future in Trigoria.
Ghisolfi, the son-in-law in charge of Roma’s sports area, is working to find a team in Smalling. Where? In the only possible place that he can guarantee him a good contract without looking too much at the injury news: Saudi Arabia. The agent is moving, he has offered it and there may have been some openings to get to a possible white smoke. Also because there had already been contacts between Smalling and the Arabs last summer, with the central defender attracted by the idea of a new challenge and one last super contract.
On the contrary, Mats wants to try an adventure abroad, but always in Europe: for him, Arabia can wait. Or just not being in the plans. And then he would be the exception to the Giallorossi rule, that of youth and sustainability, to guarantee the coach a ready and useful player during a season full of championship and cup matches.