HankMarvin Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/10509484/arsenal-join-leicester-everton-transfer-smalling/ 🧐 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKCJ Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Apparently he's been sensational in Italy. I think we do need another CB this january because an injury to either Evans or Soyuncu leaves us very short. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urban.spaceman Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Imagine Man Utd allowing Smalling and Evans to leave for paltry amounts and then signing Leicester City's 3rd best centre back for a world record fee. Gerrimin. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnegan Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 (edited) Problem is, I think we've got to be happy with Cags and Evans for at least this season and next. No real concerns about Evans pace yet really. So whilst I think Smalling is really unfairly under rated, he doesn't improve either and surely doesn't want to be a squad player. Edit : plus its the Sun so its definitely bollocks. Edited 9 December 2019 by Finnegan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st albans fox Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 smalling wont leave Italy to sit on our bench …... though yanited would do anything and everything to stop the scousers ……... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babylon Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 15 minutes ago, Finnegan said: Problem is, I think we've got to be happy with Cags and Evans for at least this season and next. No real concerns about Evans pace yet really. So whilst I think Smalling is really unfairly under rated, he doesn't improve either and surely doesn't want to be a squad player. Edit : plus its the Sun so its definitely bollocks. Good players back themselves to get in the team, see Praet. Too good to be sat on the bench, but he's here. We need quality players throughout the team and the squad, I think he'd be a brilliant signing who has been tainted by the shite going on at Man U. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyn Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Smalling is a good player, glad he is having a great season at Roma. He won't (and shouldn't) come to us to be 3rd choice CB. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 i don’t think he’ll want to come here and play back up to cags and Evans - the whole reason he left Man U was for first team footy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocolate Teapot Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 They were reluctant to sell him in the summer, offering out Jones and Rojo I believe before him. I think he's steady whenever i've seen him. Definitely need one other centre half. Watch man utd refuse to do business with us now they view us as a threat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaspa Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Seem to remember Vardy being quite complimentary about Smalling in the media a while ago, maybe they get along well too which could help. Definitely the pick of Man U's perennial average defenders of recent times, although Bailly looked class when he first got there injuries have devastated him, Jones & Rojo are bob. This Roma reinvigoration is a good sign though, you'd think Utd would still hold out hope for him given their recent bumbles letting classy CBs leave and their desperate need for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filbertway Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Not sure what's going on with Benkovic but I don't feel comfortable having Wes as the 3rd choice. Any major injury to Soy or Evans sees us significantly weakened. Would love to hear more from the club on the Benkovic situation as he seemed to be nailing it last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox92 Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Depends what happens with Benkovic and, potentially at the end of the season, Morgan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambert09 Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 It does make you wonder why he isnt partnering Maguire for England. Miles better than Keane and Mings 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzzy_Larsson Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Never been a massive fan of Smalling but for £13m which is spare change in EPL terms that would be a decent bit of business. Given he's had to man mark Phil Jones for most of his Man Utd career it's maybe unfair to judge him too harshly. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzzy_Larsson Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, st albans fox said: smalling wont leave Italy to sit on our bench …... though yanited would do anything and everything to stop the scousers ……... If your going to be playing European football next season which now looks nailed on there'll be far more opportunities for the third choice centre back to play. Add into that Evans will be a yer older and it may make sense to manage his workload a bit better which then might make the notion of anyone being third choice a bit obsolete, may be more of a case of Soyuncu being that stand-out first choice and Evans and Smalling rotated somewhat throughout the season. Going into next season, with the added workload of European football with Evans and Soyuncu and Morgan as first choice back-up would concern me if either of the former pick up an injury. Edited 9 December 2019 by henrik_62 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentFox Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Did Brendan ever play much with three CBs at Celtic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Cant' see he'd want to be third choice centre back. His ability on the ball is quite questionable as well. Doesn't seem the best at passing etc. However if he doesn't mind being 3rd choice then i dont think anyone would complain. He'll get enough games to play with us but would be surprised if he'd be happy with bottom half prem teams and carling cup games etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzzy_Larsson Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 7 minutes ago, TrentFox said: Did Brendan ever play much with three CBs at Celtic? On the very odd occasion in his first two years. Then at the start of the third season we played that way all pre-season, with a view to playing that way that season with Dembele and Edouard together but Dembele was sold on the last day of the window and we reverted back to the 4-2-3-1. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st albans fox Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 15 minutes ago, henrik_62 said: If your going to be playing European football next season which now looks nailed on there'll be far more opportunities for the third choice centre back to play. Add into that Evans will be a yer older and it may make sense to manage his workload a bit better which then might make the notion of anyone being third choice a bit obsolete, may be more of a case of Soyuncu being that stand-out first choice and Evans and Smalling rotated somewhat throughout the season. Going into next season, with the added workload of European football with Evans and Soyuncu and Morgan as first choice back-up would concern me if either of the former pick up an injury. See @Christoph reply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan LCFC Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 I wouldn't be upset with this. In terms of pure numbers we probably are a centre half light if we can't rely on Benkovic, and I do get the feeling he's been quite an unfair scapegoat over time. He's no youngster though so I wouldn't want to pay loads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langston Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 He was so good the season we won the league, but as said, he'd be third choice here, an expensive one at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Leeds Fox Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Been excellent in Italy, but would be mad to join us as third choice. Much prefer someone like ajer who has played under rodgers, someone who has played in Europe and young enough to improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester_Loyal Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 Would be a good signing, but I don't think he'd come here to be 3rd choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbtcity Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 I always seem to remember an interview with Vardy a few years back where he said Smalling was the toughest cb He’s had to play against... I’ve personally always thought he was unfairly singled out at Man U I mean look at the 85m sensation they’ve got at the back now he’s hardly pulling up any trees... I said when they were after Maguire I would’ve took Smalling plus cash but I just don’t think he’s for us now! Loan out Benkovic and bring in a loan replacement then Re asses at the end of the season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lcfcrory Posted 9 December 2019 Share Posted 9 December 2019 If we were signing a Utd CB would prefer Bailly, out of contract in summer so might come cheap and if we could get him fit think he could be a top player Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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