Roma defender Chris Smalling has made the move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Fayha, signing a two-year contract.
The 34-year-old former England international had been with Roma since 2019, after transferring from Manchester United. During his time in Italy, Smalling made 155 appearances and scored 10 goals for the club.
However, injuries limited him to just 12 appearances last season, and he had yet to feature in the current campaign, though he was an unused substitute in Roma’s recent match against Juventus.
The details of the transfer, including whether a fee was involved, have not been disclosed by either club.
Smalling played a key role in Roma’s victory in the 2022 Europa Conference League final against Feyenoord and also featured in the Europa League final, where Roma were defeated by Sevilla the following season.
Before his time in Italy, Smalling enjoyed a successful stint at Manchester United, where he was part of two Premier League title-winning squads. He also earned 31 caps for England, with his last international appearance in 2017. Smalling’s career began with Maidstone United before he moved to Fulham.
The move was finalized on Monday, the Saudi Pro League’s transfer deadline day, which also saw other notable signings, including Steven Bergwijn joining Al-Ittihad from Ajax and Danilo Pereira moving to the same club from Paris Saint-Germain.
