“Immense”: Gary Lineker thinks £13m Tottenham target is “brilliant” amid reports Conte is keen

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Antonio Conte and Tottenham are said to be interested in signing Chris Smalling from Roma – a player who Gary Lineker is a huge admirer of.

What’s the story?

Well, the above is according to Calcio Mercato Web in Italy, who believe Spurs are keen to bring the England international back to the Premier League.

Roma signed Smalling from Manchester United in October 2020 in a €15m (£13m) deal after he made 323 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils.

The 33-year-old has revitalised his career over in Rome, helping José Mourinho win the inaugural UEFA Conference League last season – the Portuguese tactician even felt his No.6 should have made England’s World Cup squad.

Lineker agreed with Mourinho, telling talkSPORT that he feels Gareth Southgate should not forget about Smalling just because he plays his football outside of England.

The BBC Match of the Day host said: “The last two or three years he (Smalling) has been brilliant over there. It’s like he is kind of the forgotten man and I went to the two games that Leicester played against them in the famous Conference League and he was actually immense in both of those games.”

So far this season, the London-born defender has made 21 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals.

Tottenham should only sign Chris Smalling as last resort

Smalling is an excellent defender who rarely let Manchester United down during his time in England.

However, we believe Tottenham need to target a younger option for the long-term.

Of course, if Spurs fail to find someone in that category, such as Croatia’s outstanding World Cup star Josko Gvardiol or Inter Milan colossus Alessandro Bastoni, then a short-term deal for Smalling would be a decent stopgap.

The Roma defender becomes a free agent at the end of the season, so perhaps Fabio Paratici – Director of Football at Tottenham – has shortlisted him as a cheap option.

Ultimately, the north Londoners will find themselves back in the market for another centre-back even if they sign Smalling – given his age – so it is certainly worth exploring younger options before getting in touch with Roma.