← Home
Football (Premier League)

Ex-England defender Chris Smalling has joined the Saudi club Al-Fayha

By Robert Jackson
· · 1 min read Full version →

Former England defender Chris Smalling has joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Fayha, ending his five-season stint at Roma.

The 34-year-old Smalling signed a two-year contract, according to Al-Fayha on Monday.

Roma also transferred 19-year-old Brazilian winger Joao Costa to Al-Ettifaq, another Saudi Arabian team, in a permanent move.

Costa had only played five times in Serie A and the Europa League for Roma.

Smalling was an important player for Roma when they won the first-ever Europa Conference League in 2022.

Chris Smalling reacts in the game

He earned 31 caps for England between 2011 and 2017.

Although big names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar were drawn to the Saudi league in recent years due to large contracts, this year hasn’t seen many top international players join.

There was talk of a move for Victor Osimhen, but instead, Al-Ahli signed Ivan Toney from Brentford on deadline day after Toney failed to secure a Premier League deal.

Osimhen was finalizing a loan move to Galatasaray on Tuesday.

Robert Jackson has experience in sports writing and staff photography, covering various beats including government, business, courts, and politics, as well as feature stories.

Reading the AMP version?

View Full Experience →