Chris Smalling joins Saudi club Al Fayha from Roma
Former Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Fayha from Roma.
The 34-year-old has signed a two-year contract through to 2026.
Smalling spent five seasons at Roma and made 155 appearances for the club, scoring 10 goals.
The central defender has been named in each of Roma’s three matchday squads this season but has yet to feature for Daniele De Rossi’s side and was an unused substitute in Sunday night’s 0-0 draw against Juventus.
Smalling initially joined Roma on loan in 2019 from Manchester United and made his move permanent the following year.
The former Fulham defender played in the 2022 Conference League final as Roma defeated Feyenoord and featured in the Europa League final the following year as the Italian club were defeated on penalties by Sevilla.
Smalling previously made 323 first-team appearances for United, winning eight trophies during his time with the club including two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the Europa League.
The defender, who was capped 31 times by England, began his career at non-league Maidstone United before joining Fulham in 2008 and moving to Old Trafford two years later.
(Silvia Lore/Getty Images)
Get all-access to exclusive stories.
Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.
Colin Millar is a Staff Writer for The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic, Colin was European Football writer at Mirror Football. From Belfast, he is the author of The Frying Pan of Spain: Sevilla vs Real Betis, Spain’s Hottest Football Rivalry, and he can be found on Twitter/X: @Millar_Colin Follow Colin on Twitter @Millar_Colin
