Saints Preparing To Get Tough On Fonte Wednesday, 31st Aug 2016 08:30 Although it was announced last week that that all was now fine with Jose Fonte, the Daily Echo is hinting this morning that this might not be the case and it could be that Manchester United make a last minute raid. Claude Puel announced last week that Jose Fonte would be staying with the club and that all parties had now come to an arrangement, part of that arrangement was a further improvement on the improved contract Fonte had been offered after returning from Euro 2016 in France. However it seems that the contract still remains unsigned and from Fonte's body language on Saturday he did not seem the same player in terms of attitude that he did last season, his seated posture after conceding the penalty betrayed a certain something that I can't quite put a finger on, perhaps it was a new arrogance ? But whatever it was, Fonte and his super agent Jorge Mendes have not put pen to paper on the new deal and the rumours that Manchester United are about to launch a deadline day raid continue to persist in the media, with the source of those rumours unclear although they are certainly not Saints. Saints now have to show their resolve, unless they have a central defensive signing of true quality that has come in under the radar then they have no choice but to absolutely rebuff all of United's overtures to sign the player. Indeed even with Fonte staying Saints are short of true quality cover for the first choice central pairing in defence, in my opinion we should have been signing a central defender, not just as cover but to push for a place in the starting line up. Personally I like the statement that Sporting Lisbon, ironically the club where Fonte started his career as a youngster, made this week about their player Adrien Silva after Leicester City publicly courted him. “The player renewed his contract in February 2016 in a deal involving significant sums of money, making it absolutely clear that the extension to his contract would mean that [he] would stay at the club until the end of his career. “Never during recent months has anything been said to the president or has any proposal been made for the transfer of Adrien Silva. The president has not met with the player’s father or representatives for that purpose. Sporting and its president will always defend the interests of the club and will also defend the club’s assets.” This is what Saints fans would love to hear from their own club a little more often especially when players are "Unsettled" in that special way much beloved of Tottenham Hotspur. No one blames players for wanting to better their situation both in terms of stature of the club they play for and financially when the opportunity arises, but contracts are two way things. So if Manchester United do come a calling then Southampton Football Club have to do what is in the best interests of Southampton Football Club, not what is in the best interests of a player, too often now players are happy to sign contracts and then hold clubs to ransom rather than honour them. Saints have done the right thing with Fonte, not only this summer but in his almost 7 years at the club, a period that for all but the last 7 weeks, no one has exactly been clamouring for his services, sadly the situation as the Daily Echo hints seems unlikely to end smoothly, that is sad both for the player himself and also for Saints supporters who took Fonte to their hearts. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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