Jose Fonte

Your owner is ****ing loaded...I think she's letting the fans down by operating on such a small net spend every summer. Her old man wasn't as tight with his cash.

 

Tbh I'm just glad he won't be scoring against us if we sign him.

Stan is right though, what's happened to Saints over the last 3 season transfers has been a real shame. I don't know how you could've stopped it but I'd have been happy if you had kept all your best players tbh.

 

An *extra* £10m? We don't not pay him you know. He's been offered a new contract on as near to £100k a week as makes no difference, so it would be an extra 2.5m - which is a huge amount to a normal person, but **** all really to a footballer.

 

It's hard to keep your best players when they're heads get turned so easily though. We're not big enough to offer mega wages or guaranteed euro footy / chance of trophies. Maybe we can build that over team but it's hard when you're losing players to teams you are trying to get an edge on.

Stan I think it's a bit harsh to say she's let the fans no down. She had no interest in football and yet since inheriting us she has carried on putting money in like paying off a high interest loan outright that was takem out by Cortese. More money in the academy and also the brand new training ground. Also wrote of around £20-30m worth of debt. Simplistic to say they have **** loads of money when they've always wanted us to be self sufficient.

My personal feeling is that we are being geared up to be sold within the next few years and that she wants us to pay off our loans to them before she goes.

In my opinion she's well within her rights to do that after what the family have done to club. Only 7 years ago that we were on the verge of folding.

 

If he wants to go I don't think it's down to the money. He had a taste of success in the Summer and getting on as he is wants a bit more before he retires.

No argument where he's more likely to get that.

 

I meant £10m over two years and assumed he was on c£50k a week. So it would be an extra £5m. I doubt he's made mega bucks from wages and sponsorship endorsements throughout his career so £5m would be difficult to say no to, particularly at his age and when countless other team mates have moved on to bigger clubs and Liverpool.

Would you really begrudge him one last pay packet after several years of service? You'd also be getting a very big fee for a 32 year old.

 

Fair enough. You're probably right about the club being streamlined and tidied up so she can sell. I've always thought Saints had the potential to be bigger than they are as they're in a large catchment area with limited competition.

 

Yes in his case I would. He's the captain who has repeatedly stated that the 'grass isn't greener' etc. He should be leading us into Europe. I have no problem with people like Mané going - he's young enough to be a global superstar. For our captain and highest paid player to be going, when he already has the opportunity to earn £100k a week, to play a bit part in a big club - I think that's wrong and sends out the wrong message. He has a greater responsibility than that.

 

I agree with the point about the catchment area, and slowly think we are progressing in terms of club size. We're a different kettle of fish to the club at The Dell in the 90's being saved every year by Le Tiss.

With any luck we're having a decent period at just the right time with all the money in the PL and added exposure, in fact I'd say our stock has never been higher, and our brand (urgh, hate that word) never been more well known around the world, which kinda makes it even more frustrating that we can't keep players! If we can carry on finishing in and around the top 8 for the next 5 or so years I can see us pulling away from a lot of similarly sized clubs.

 

I married into a Saints family so went to the Dell many times and have been to St Mary's as recently as this pre season to watch some Spanish side. The transformation in the club when the new stadium opened was remarkable. It's a shame the relegations held the club back for a few years!

 

Yeah it did but in a way we came back stronger, was quite a journey though from FA Cup final in 2003 to league 1 on -10 in 2009 and back to the PL in 2012, never boring following the Saints!!

I also wouldn't swap those 2 league 1 seasons for the world and in a strange and peverse way quite miss them!!

 

Won't hold this against Fonte. Gave Saints some great service over the years and can't really blame him for utd turning his head, especially at his age. Will he be first choice though, with Smalling to come back and Bailly looking quite the find ? Blind having good start to the season too

 

He'll be cover, which we do need particularly as Bailly will go to the ACON. Plus Bailly is new to the PL so may have a bad patch.

 

Same. Strange feeling seeing Saints pushing for titles, even if it was against the likes of Gillingham and Yeovil. Lambert was banging goals in for fun too !

 

Welcome to Manchester Jose Fonte, where you will be loved for ever or a day.

 

It's just a fact. I doubt he'd be made any assurances or have any expectations that he would be brought in to be a guaranteed first team regular. A bit like Yoshida who is probably desperate for Fonte to leave.

 

He is highly regarded here, to leave and sit on your rotten bench would be just rude. Especially with your under appreciation. But, stranger choices have been made.....

 

It's a job to them fella, especially at his age.

 

Nah. We'd buy a first team replacement. Yoshi wouldn't suddenly become first choice.

 

Kind of reinforces my point about Yoshida!