Jose Mourinho has started to lose faith in veteran defender Chris Smalling and is expecting Roma to bring in a reinforcement in the January transfer window.
A report from Corriere dello Sport via Calciomercato.com details how the 33-year-old Englishman disappointed the Portuguese coach by pulling out of a training session on the day before the win over Monza, concerned about his tendon issue.
Smalling suffered the issue at the start of September and has been sidelined since, so Mourinho hoped to see a greater spirit of sacrifice from the defender, who is known to avoid taking anti-inflammatories.
Mourinho wants Roma to pick up a new defender in January to bolster the squad and one of his top preferences is Tottenham’s Eric Dier, who has not broken into Ange Postecoglou’s squad in North London. The 29-year-old’s deal expires with Spurs at the end of the season, making him a low-cost option.
Alternatives to Dier include Genoa‘s Radu Dragusin and Salzburg’s Oumar Solet, both of whom would likely come cheaper than Dier.