Jose Fonte has shed some light on his situation since his return to St Mary's after the European Championships.
Jose Fonte has spoken out over his frustrations this season about not playing in Europe and also explains the subtle differences between what is and what isn't a new contract offer in his book.
Fonte admits he has been offered a significant pay rise but says that this does not constitute a new contract and he is at liberty to turn it down.
"I don’t know what they’re talking about,” Fonte said. "There’s no contract on the table.
"It is what it is, there’s nothing on the table that I didn’t sign. There was nothing there, to be honest.”
He added: "There was in the summer, they offered me a pay rise. They didn’t offer me a new contract.
"They offered me a pay rise which I’m entitled to discuss with my agent and entitled to say no to as well.
"I’m entitled to have my own opinion, so apart from that that’s it.”
This is rather strange from Fonte, if there was no new contract and it was merely a question of upping his wages, why on earth did he not accept it ? The fact is that it would not have changed anything in terms of his future at St Mary's, with the length of the current contract signed only last season remaining unchanged, it would have changed nothing in terms of another club coming in for him, so why did he not just accept what on the face of it seems to be a generous offer from Saints one that they did not need to make.
The situation is that Fonte will be approaching 35 when his current deal ends, you can understand why Saints would be happy to increase his wages till the summer of 2018 and why they would be loathe to be paying him big money in a season when he will turn 35.
All in all it seems nit picking by Fonte who is claiming a wage rise does not constitute a new deal merely an addendum to his current contract.
Whichever way it is not helping either the player of the club.
From a supporters point of view I cannot see what the club has done so wrong, I'm happy that they have offered Fonte a payrise to reward his performances in the Euro's, something they dd not have to do, and I can totally see why they would not want to pay him that sort of money past his 35th birthday.
Fonte's further frustrated by the fact that he isn't playing in the Europa League and this worryingly suggests that all is not well with the club and player.
"Of course I’m disappointed,” he said. "I want to play every game. I’m fit to play every game. I’m always on the dance floor — I’m always fit.
"I worked really hard last year to play Europa League.
"I worked really hard and obviously I’m disappointed, but I have to accept the decision from the manager and be ready when I am called to play.
"If I’m called to play Europa League, I will be there, as simple as that.”
"It is [frustrating], but it’s football, like the manager said, he wants people to be 100 per cent fit for every game. You have to accept the decision and move on.
"It’s a massive game [Hapoel] and I’m ready. We need to win this game.”
I am sure most Saints fans would agree that Fonte should partner Virgil Van Dijk against Happoel Be'er Sheva on Thursday, it is important that we put out our strongest side in a game that it is important that we don't concede a goal and that means the strongest defence.
Fonte has also urged Saints to get the basics right and "concentrate” after the defeat at his former club Crystal Palace.
"It was a lack of concentration, in my opinion, especially on the set-pieces you need to be 100 per cent at it and we conceded three goals from set-pieces.
"We need to put that right.
"Until the ball is dead you have to stay with your man. And that’s a basic and if we do the basics right we win games.”
Fonte is right about concentration, however he is not quite right saying all three goals came from set pieces at Palace, the first came as we passed back from a comfortable position on the half way line, the third came in open play that athough had started from a corner a minute earlier had moved on.
All in all though Fonte's words indicate a player that is not happy with his lot, although you could say that he was very happy with his contract last season when he signed it so what is the problem in being offered a pay rise when there was no compulsion for the club to do so ?
Perhaps the biggest clue came in the sentence
""They offered me a pay rise which I’m entitled to discuss with my agent and entitled to say no to as well."
The agent Jorge Mendes clearly feels that Fonte could get more money and for a longer term than he is getting at Saints elsewhere.
Strangely Mendes's best mate Jose Mourinho seems to want to offer Fonte just that sort of deal, something that Manchester United fan's cannot seem to comprehend and have asked why a club with their money would want to spend it on a 33 year old when they can have the pick of much younger options.
Strange things have happened with Fonte of late, all Saints fans would prefer to see Fonte happy at the club and finish his career here, but that does not mean we pay him wages far in excess of his value to the club.