According to Calciomercato, José Mourinho has decided to offload Chris Smalling, just months after Everton tried to sign him in June.
What’s the story?
Well, the Italian news outlet believe Smalling’s time in Italy could soon be over, as Mourinho is concerned about his frequent injuries.
It was Calciomercato again who revealed that Everton were keen back in June, and claimed that the England international had a €15m (£12.7m) price tag.
Now, after missing six games this season with a hamstring problem, it seems Mourinho has given up on the 31-year-old.
It remains to be seen if Everton are still interested.
However, Marco Silva actually bid for Smalling back in 2019, so the Toffees have clearly held a long-term interest in the centre-back.
Now he’s on the market, it will be interesting to see if Everton resurrect their interest in the man Roma paid £18.1m for.
Should Everton sign Chris Smalling?
No. Simply put, in the bluntest way possible, Everton should not sign Smalling.
There’s nothing more frustrating than signing a player, only for him to spend most of his time in the treatment room.
Everton have experienced that all too often, most recently with Jean-Philippe Gbamin.
The Ivorian cost £25m, and has only managed to play four games in over two years for the Toffees.
Of course, Gbamin and others haven’t chosen to be injured, but when a player like Smalling is so obviously prone to injuries, it would be madness to sign him.
That isn’t to say he isn’t a good player. Smalling is a two-time Premier League champions, and also has 31 caps for England.
However, he just isn’t what Rafa Benitez needs right now, in our view.
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