Every football fan in the major European domestic leagues knows that the Saudi Arabian Pro League caused quite a stir in the summer transfer window of 2023 with their huge spending, and the calibre of player they were able to attract in an effort to grow the notoriety of their home division.
This summer was far quieter and the bigger transfer deals were predominantly controlled by the traditional major players that you would expect, however, the Saudi issue has not gone away and earlier this week, as their summer window came to a close, we learned that a few deals did slip through late on and one of those concerns Italian Serie A side AS Roma.
It is probably no surprise to see that it features former 31 capped England centre half Chris Smalling, as the 34 year old’s future at the Stadio Olimpico had long been in doubt. Having moved to the club back in 2019 from Manchester United, he has scored ten times in 155 appearances for the side, but in 2023/24 injury hit and he only featured 12 times much to the public annoyance of former manager Jose Mourinho.
Under Daniele De Rossi, although he was on the bench for their last game against Juventus last Sunday, he is yet to make an appearance either, so many in the Italian game felt that his time was now up and that some kind of deal would be struck that saw him move on.
Few probably considered Saudi Arabia though, but with pen to paper on a reported two year contract now signed with side Al-Fayha, he moves on with neither team publicly releasing whether or not there was a firm transfer fee involved.
Although the last 12 a bit months have not gone to plan for either party, AS Roma fans will have fond memories of his efforts for the I Giallorossi, as in his 155 appearances for them, he more than played his part in the side that went on to win the 2022 Europa Conference League final with victory over Dutch Eredivisie side Feyenoord, and as they again reached the Europa League final the following year, he also featured in their defeat to Spanish La Liga team Sevilla.
Having previously plied his trade for Maidstone and then Fulham, his success in Italy, added to his international caps and having played his part in two English Premier League title wins with Manchester United mean he has enjoyed a pretty successful career all in, and there will be those wondering how his debut goes over the next few weeks.
Serie A sides will be wondering what moves Saudi Arabia make when the January window comes around, as the pull for players, particularly those nearing the end of their professional career is obvious to all.
