He was happy to sign back in October and did so...........it is time Saints stuck to their guns. You have a new contract which already keeps you here until 2019........Your options................ stay on more pay or stay........on less pay......Either way....you 'aint going nowhere.................Get used to it............
Perhaps the Daily Echo article that says we don't want to sell and would only for an excessive fee may suggest that the club would stand firm on this one? If we got an excessive fee I'd be happy to sell by the way. I've said before but this could be his last season anyway so if a fee around £20m came in then I'd say it made business sense. Van Dijk is strides ahead of him anyway.
Indeed, who's to say we're not "standing firm" and saying bugger off United, but Mendes is whispering in Jose's ear. If there was a 'gentleman's agreement' as well, we're not in an enviable position here. All we can hope to do is hold out for the very best deal we can (or price him out of the market and have a very unhappy/rebellious captain on our hands). He has all the power here - imagine how negatively impactful it will be if we refuse him a move, he has a major strop which means we have to (publicly, because it will be obvious, of course) strip him of his captaincy.
Mind you, we could do that and take the bruises that come with it. I guess at least it would show us to be tough to the other players all of a sudden. Might have a season in the Championship as a result though. Your choice.
I'm fairly confident he will stay purely for the fact that Les has kept quiet, normally when Les comes out with a quote that a player/manager is staying and contract negotiations are going well then the oppisite tends to happen and they leave.
Sky Transfer Centre LIVE! 11:28 'FLATTERING TO BE LINKED TO MAN UTD' Southampton defender Jose Fonte has responded to reports linking him with a move to Manchester United. "If the interest is there, it's flattering to be associated with a club like Manchester United," he said. "But I have a contract with Southampton". Fonte and United boss Jose Mourinho are both looked after by super agent Jorge Mendes.
Situation seems fairly clear to me. Fonte would like to leave and go to United and he has expressed this to the board. However we will not sell him unless a ridiculous offer comes in from United, which it won't. Even though he would like to leave, he wont throw a strop if we refuse him a transfer and thus will eventually sign up to a pay rise and stay at saints.
Ū I've purposely stayed out of this whole board debate for now (and still am) but why could doing that end up in relegation? Not digging or anything, just confused.
That is actually an old quote (well, a couple of weeks anyway)....the media is just circulating the same phrases. I have to say that I don't believe for one minute that Fonte won't do his best for us if he isn't allowed a transfer. Just isn't that kind of guy....and it wouldn't make sense not to play well for Saints if you hoped to move in January** or next summer. **Please don't make us go through this again in January.
It wouldn't necessarily, of course, but if major players sided with Fonte then it could. Look at Chelsea last year (and they're a lot better than us).
As we know, not everyone is as "cool" as you FLT....LOL I am in the middle ground of "bed wetting" but even I am getting a bit twitchy as the only news is on players being touted as leaving
