When Manchester United hired Jose Mourinho they did so to revitalise their squad with big name signings, If he signed Fonte it could test the patience of not only the United fans but the club's board itself.

Jose Fonte has been a great servant to Southampton Football Club since signing in January 2010 and should he stay till the end of the season he will pass 300 games for the club in all competitions, something that will rightly entitle him to be classed as a club legend.

However something has changed in Fonte himself since his return from the European Championships and despite Saints offering him a pay rise, this does not seem to be good enough for him and he took the unusual step last week of airing his views in public.

The real issue seems to be the length of his contract, whilst he was happy to sign a new deal last season that would see him through to the summer of 2018 when he would be 34, although Saints seem happy to make him one of the highest earners now, they understandably feel that they don't want to be paying those sort of wages past his 35th birthday.

Fonte said in his outburst last week that he had not been offered a new deal but merely a pay rise, if that was the case then why would he have not accepted it ? If it was not a new contract then nothing changed apart from the money going into his bank, he could easily have said yes and it would not have altered his position should the likes of Manchester United still wanted to come in for him in January.

The latest news is that Saints have slapped a £15 million price tag on him, this is paper talk at it's best or worst, slapping prices on players has no worth for a selling club, if a player wants to move he usually goes and it is not always to the highest bidder in these modern times.

But perhaps the strangest part of this story is that Jose Mourinhowould want to sign him anyway !

Well strange if you still believe that this game is still basically morally sound and that the fact that Fonte's agent Jorge Mendes and Jose Mourinho are best friends and have always worked closely together is just pure coincidence in this deal.

From a United perspective this deal makes no sense, they appointed Mourinho to restore the Old Trafford club back to it's former glories, in the Portugese manager they hoped that they finally had at the third attempt someone who had the aura and the clout that Sir Alex Ferguson had in football.

Someone who was a winner and focused on nothing but football and to do so would not stop at signing some of the World's best players.

Therefore United's hierarchy having handed Mourinho a virtually open chequebook expected to see the quality signings come in.

There has been a lot of money spent, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was a free agent but his signing on fee and wages dont come cheap, Henrikh Mkhitaryan was £26 million and then of course there is Paul Pogba, £90 million for a player who United released on a free four years ago.

It is fair to say that Ibrahimovic aside the £116 million spent on the other two is not seen as great business at the moment.

More to the point though United and their fans expected to see a quality central defender come in last summer, so to be linked with Jose Fonte a player who will be 33 next week has not enthused them, the fact that Mourinho seemed willing to spend £10 million on a player at the tail end of his career was not what they wanted to see, they wanted, indeed demanded a big name big money signing who would stop the leaks at the back.

Mourinho's failure to do this has raised eyebrows in football and already put question marks over his commitment to Manchester United and his ability to do the job.

United for their part cannot afford another season outside the Champions League financially and they know if that was to happen then they would be reduced down to 5th or 6th in the Premier league pecking order, a shadow of the club who dominated British football for over two decades.

That is why they appointed Mourinho, to sign the quality of players that Alex Ferguson seemed able to do, they accepted that neither David Moyes or Louis Van Gaal really had the reputation or clout to do that and they had gone along the wrong track in thinking the club's reputation alone would enable te legacy of Ferguson to continue seamlessly, so they wanted the biggest name in management to bring in the biggest names on the field.

So if they had wanted a manager who would be chasing the likes of Jose Fonte then they would not have appointed Mourinho.

The fact that he is after Fonte and still appears to be if you believe the press is severely testing the patience of the United board and if he was to do so at a prcie in excess of £10 million then his days could be numbered at Old Trafford.

United are well aware of the relationship between Mourinho and Mendes and the issues at Chelsea, they are not going to let that happen at Old Trafford.

In January United will bankroll the signing of just about any central defender available in Europe and beyond, their pockets are deep, therefore if Mourinho wants to gamble his job and reputation on Jose Fonte then it is going to be a succeed or be sacked situation and if results don't improve and a Champions League place becomes unachievable then Mourinho will be gone.

For Fonte that would leave him isolated at Old Trafford with little chance of a first team game and on too big a wages to take a pay cut to go elsewhere, like Rickie Lambert's move to Liverpool it would be great financially but would virtually end his career on the pitch and Internationally.

In a month we will find out what will happen in this situation, from a Saints perspective you can rest assured that they have been scouting for Fonte's replacement and they would see it as good business to get in £10 million for a player who will be 33 and replace him with another Virgil Van Dijk.

It is though a sad ending to Fonte's career at St Mary's which has seen him become a Saints legend and lead the club through the leagues to the top six of the Premier League.

Photo: Action Images

dirk_doone added 10:32 - Dec 14 Your campaign against Fonte is sinking to a new low. The picture above features Man United's best signing so far this season, Ibrahimovic, 3 years older than reigning European champion Fonte, who as we saw on Sunday is at the peak of his game. He would be a massive loss for Saints.
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perazi added 11:05 - Dec 14 Come on Dirk - Nick's story is only spelling out how things are. Fonte has been a great servant to Saints, but the fact remains, he is nearly 33, he is clearly on the wane and getting anywhere between 5 - 10 million pounds for him would be great business. Add in, the petulant comments our Captain has been making lately and we may not have another Lallana situation on our hands but it's clear Fonte wants the last big pay cheque of his career. The other side of the article; that of the continued self imposed trashing of Mourhino's career is also spot on. Mourhino looks like a Manager the modern game has passed by - he comes across as a smug, arrogant know it all and if he authorises the purchase of Fonte on top of the marginal recruiting so far then the transition of Special one to Silly one will be complete.

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SonicBoom added 11:19 - Dec 14 Er, Ibrahimovic started off as one of the top players in the world. Jose isn't. Totally ludicrous comparison. As I keep asking you Dirk, you want the club to extend the contract AND give a payrise to a player that is going to be 35 by the end of his current deal. You must REALLY rate him is all I can say.
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saintmark1976 added 11:24 - Dec 14 Nick. I appreciate that the Ugly is your site and as such you can write what you will. However, I must say that this season your comments in general are much more strident and lean towards carrying an authoritarian and impatient tone. Now it appears that not only are you speaking for S F C but you are telling us what the board of Manchester United should think and do also. Have you any connections within either club (but particularly S F C ) beyond being a life long Saints fan much like the rest of us?

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ExiledSupporter added 11:25 - Dec 14 I'd be a good deal more worried that Mourinho (and others in the NW) will offer big money for VVD and that the hooha about Fonte is simply a smokescreen. Not at all confident of the board's backbone when it comes to making quick and large profits (especially in the summer transfer window)
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LordDZLucan added 12:12 - Dec 14 Policy should be no sales in January at any price. Any other policy creates unwanted distractions.
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GeordieSaint added 12:20 - Dec 14 £15 million would be peanuts for Man U who turned over £540 million in the year before the new TV deal. Fonte would comfortably be their best defender and if they got in the champions league as a result of a tighter defence it would pay for the move many times over. To argue United never signed older players before is nonsense, Laurent Blanc was at least 35 when they signed him as was Henrick Larsson. If saints are prepared to let Jose go now I sincerely hope they have an excellent replacement lined up. I think the man has several decent seasons in him yet.

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steve73 added 12:58 - Dec 14 Sometimes when I read the articles on here I forget they're just the views of a fellow supporter, such is the pomposity with which they're delivered. Aren't fanzines meant to be by fans, for fans? The tone resembles that of a primary school teacher but the content is far from educational. Anyway, back on topic I do feel that the sale of Fonte is now inevitable. I actually think he'll be a terrific signing for them, even if it's only a short term fix. And Mourinho may be a bit of a tit but I'm not buying this nonsense that the transfer is just being arranged between friends so that certain individuals can make a few quid. I get the feeling he's desperate to be successful at Utd and he's not going to put that at risk by getting involved in all that rubbish. Hopefully he'll fail anyway but it won't be down to the signing of Jose. As for us well we'd better have a damn good replacement. And not one that's going to take a while to bed in either. I just don't understand why it has to be January.

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SaintBrock added 13:17 - Dec 14 Nick, what has a plaice and your 'stories' of Jose Fonte got in common? Both are fishy and have no legs
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pintsizedsaint added 13:17 - Dec 14 Quite frankly, some of the comments on here and other posts slating off Nick are dumbfounding. Has it not crossed your minds that Nick actually agrees with how the club is approaching such things? That doesn't make him a corporate kiss butt or "part of the system". Just because he (and many others) don't just write hysterical rubbish every time we lose a game doesn't make him an apologist. I've always come here because it's a balanced view. And I've come here to hear respectful arguments, so it's a real disappointment to read personal attacks on Nick (and other posters) simply because you don't like what he says. And some of the arguments are wafer thin too! Comparing Zlatan to Fonte (as well as other posts trying to argue that the likes of Pedro and Enrique - world class defenders who have played at a consistently top level for years - are similar to Fonte because they happen to be older defenders) is just simply wrong. Fonte is not a world class defender. Period. He was also not Portugal's first choice CB. He's been a fantastic player for Saints and we would love him to stay but he's playing the game now - and SFC are rightly sticking to their guns. No player is bigger than the club. You start messing around with that principle then we are screwed. And if you don't like what Nick has to say then by all means argue your point, but if you want to make personal attacks go find another forum

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steadyeddie added 13:18 - Dec 14 In defence of Nick - An objective perspective is one that is not influenced by emotions, opinions, or personal feelings - it is a perspective based in fact, in things quantifiable and measurable. A subjective perspective is one open to greater interpretation based on personal feeling, emotion, aesthetics, etc. Apart from that, Selling Jose Fonte for £15M is good business, in fact I will drive him up to Carrington for his medical, and we can chat about the merits of Portuguese Fado Music, during the journey.

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ItchenNorth added 13:25 - Dec 14 A straight swap with Rojo anyone ?
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BoondockSaint added 13:30 - Dec 14 Nick, Fonte has done a lot for this team: helping new players when they come to the club, mentoring the younger ones, leading by example on and off the field, and was the heart and soul of the team climbing up from the lower leagues. He deserves a bit more respect from you. These are qualities that are missing at United and why Mourinho wants him. When Fonte looks at the way Saints are being run these days, what was great project with ambition and direction a couple of years ago is now happy to be fodder for the big clubs, he probably wonders if he wasted his hard work and loyalty. So he might as well have a last big payday. When he does leave, i look forward to your article claiming he was never any good, and undermined the team by forcing out Pardew and hitting Osvaldo with his eye to get rid of him!

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law101 added 13:38 - Dec 14 We won't sign anyone in January. The board are cost cutting before the club is sold, and anyone that is worth having generally isn't available in January.
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SaintBrock added 18:35 - Dec 14 I cannot be the only one who was rather puzzled by your post above pintsizedsaint; reading this thread through again it is hard to see which particular post and posters you had in mind. There is nothing here that could be construed as a personal abusive attack on Nick, nothing other than the expression of alternative points of view to Nick's, sometimes in serious vein and sometimes through good natured humour. Where is this evidence of personal abuse of NIck that you allege. I've never seen anything in the way of personal abuse of Nick or anybody else for that matter on here that could compare in any way to the vile abuse of many individuals on an 'other' fan website that renders it a no-go area for decent minded people and makes this place a haven for common sense, fair debate and intelligence. At the heart of it is Nick's seemingly endless ability to concoct stories of interest and conjecture about Saints that keeps the rest of us engaged and active during all those dull moments between games. Long may his ink flow!

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SaintPaulVW added 19:35 - Dec 14 Unless there is someone already lined up I just can't see that this makes sense to anyone other than Fonte and his agent.
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