It does feel a bit strange that the club hasn't made a big deal about Fonte's return. I would have thought there'd be an interview at least!
Someone on Saintsweb reckons he's signed a new improved 3 year deal. It's not one of the main itk's but he has known things before apparently. Basically we've still got no idea
Add to that, Jose's version is that he wanted Premier League football and he thought his best chance of getting it was dropping a division into League One to get it with Saints. Pretty good prediction, then again, he would have an input to make that the case.
I think the lack of coverage is a good thing. If the situation was uncertain the would want everything to appear calm. If, however, he is/has signed a new contract they would keep us guessing and then please the fans by revealing a new 3 year deal. Wouldn't surprise me to see Cedric and Tadic's contract announced together and then Fonte's shortly after.
If you were going to announce a Fonte contract then tomorrow wouldn't be a bad time for it, what with the game in the evening and it being Fonte's first appearance back at St. Mary's since the Euros win... (even though he won't play with just one day of training under his belt)
Seems relevant with current speculation to share the transcript of my interview with José again from the back end of last season... talking Saints' future, Koeman's future and his own future... --- We’ve touched on the manager there. But just how important has he been for Southampton? You were obviously at the club when Mauricio Pochettino left, and the fans are concerned that if you keep losing top players and top managers, how does the club continue to move forward and how important is Ronald? I think Ronald has done an amazing job. Like you said, we’ve lost some great players and he and the club were able to replace them with good players as well. What he’s done for us has been fantastic and we hope that he can sign his new contract and stay with us for the next few years. He’s made us believe. We’ve had the best finishes in the Premier League, so we’re really happy. He’s been able to deal with all that has been thrown at him, so great credit to him and his staff and the board. Obviously, we want to go to the next step and the next step is to keep hold of our best players and manage to add even more quality to the great squad that we already have. Do you think it would be a statement to the rest of football if Southampton could get Ronald Koeman to sign a new deal? I think it’s the first step. It’s the first step. If we are able to keep hold of our best assets, it’s a big statement to the Premier League and to the world of what we want to achieve. So, I hope we can do it this year. I’ve seen speculation in Portugal that has said you’d quite like to retire in Portugal… is that the case? That’s speculation, that’s speculation. What I said, in an interview. Actually, to put everything clear… A journalist asked me ‘Would you ever come back to Portugal and which of the three big clubs do you prefer?’ I said: ‘Well they’re three big clubs which makes it hard for any player to say no.’ I’m very happy at Southampton, I feel at home and this is my club. It’s where I’ve been very successful. But in football, you never know. Today, the manager likes me, the club likes me, I like the club and it’s all good. The fans like me, I love the fans and we’re fine. I would love to finish my career in Southampton, but you don’t know tomorrow and in football things change very quickly. I’m happy where I am, I really appreciate what Southampton did for me and if I finish my career in Southampton - that’s great. We’ve seen Radhi Jaïdi go into coaching at Saints and Kelvin looks like doing the same, is that something you can see yourself doing? Most definitely. I’m already taking the coaching degree with Kelvin Davis. It’s something that excites me, I like coaching and I’m passionate about it. In the next five or six years, it’s something I look forward to because at the moment I still feel fresh enough, I still have a few years in me. But I am already preparing my future. Future Saints manager one day? I would love to manage Saints. I would love to, yes, most definitely.
Looked at Cedric's interview....another miserable shot of Fonte. I'm out today....hope to see a smiley Jose by the time I get back.
I no longer get attached to our players but view them like the cruise ships in the docks. They are here for a short while and then they are off somewhere else.
Cruise ships usually return to Southampton though.... Good question: Does anyone think any previous player is likely to return to Saints?
