Manchester United: Fans slate transfer strategy after details emerge over Chris Smalling’s exit

A number of Manchester United fans were left bewildered and aggravated after reports emerged over the structure of the deal that saw Chris Smalling join AS Roma.

Smalling had spent last season out on loan with Roma, where he enjoyed an impressive campaign averaging 1.9 interceptions and four clearances per game in 30 league appearances (via Sofascore). The Italian side had been consistently linked with a move to re-sign the defender throughout the window.

However, the deal was delayed and did not end up being concluded until the latter stages of the window. It has now emerged that the deal is structured so that Roma will pay €15 million (£13.6 million) over four years with €5 million (£4.5 million) being paid in bonuses if the Serie A club win the Champions League, as per journalist Filippo Biafora.

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Roma have recently made it as far as the semi-finals of the competition during the 2017/18 season, before eventually being knocked out by Liverpool. However, it would seem very unlikely that they would be able to repeat and better that run in the competition in the near future.

Some Manchester United fans were keen to point out how badly this deal shows the club are at negotiating in the transfer market. While others were more focusing on the strangeness of the clause inserted in regarding Roma’s Champions League performance.

Here are just some of the best reactions from United supporters on Twitter, where one simply called it a “stupid deal”:

https://twitter.com/SMJS_94/status/1313511075925692417?s=19https://twitter.com/thistimesurely/status/1313514482191171584?s=19https://twitter.com/MrFootball14/status/1313512038862393344?s=19https://twitter.com/AnikGoyal2/status/1313512212565172225?s=19https://twitter.com/markcassidy7/status/1313525049979219968?s=19https://twitter.com/Gunwood_26/status/1313517591441412096?s=19https://twitter.com/UtdJoan/status/1313509993811898368?s=19

https://twitter.com/thistimesurely/status/1313514482191171584?s=19

So basically it's a €15m fee and not a penny more. Roma must be laughing at the agreed bonuses.

— Salas (@SalasUtd) October 6, 2020

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Who signs such stupid deals…
He walks in Utd Current XI and when Utd needed him, they sold him for peenuts

— Anik Goyal (@AnikGoyal2) October 6, 2020