Southampton’s long history of losing crucial players is well known, but when it comes to captain Jose Fonte, there should be no dallying. Sign him.
Few players are as central to the success of a team as Jose Fonte is to Southampton. The Saints are blessed to have their captain anchoring what has become a very impressive defense alongside Virgil. His importance can not be understated and for that reason, it is rather shocking what the Portuguese defender has said about his contract situation.
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“There’s nothing on the table, so I’m waiting,” Fonte said, as quoted by Sky Sports. “There were some talks but there hasn’t been for a while.”
Fonte went on to add the generic line about focusing on his season and the performances on the pitch, but that doesn’t mean that Southampton should be putting off signing Fonte to a new deal. He may be 32 years old, but he has shown no signs of slowing down and in the off chance that he does, you can always plan around that.
Fonte’s deal expires in 2018, at which point he will be 34 years old. There is no denying that that is pushing the limit for an athlete to remain in prime athletic form, but it doesn’t mean that Fonte still has to be at the center of attention.
This man is a leader, and I liken the situation to what Per Mertesacker has going on at Arsenal (though no contract talks are going on there). Mertesacker may not be at the forefront of the defense any time soon. Or ever again, even. But that’s a man who has come to lead the club and is an emotional leader.
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Southampton, a team that is often devoid of consistent players returning to action, could use all the leadership they can get their hands on. Sure, Virgil can anchor the defense and another signing can be made, but Fonte, even as a rotational option, provides so much more than just what he brings on the pitch.
He’s approaching 13,000 minutes with Southampton and there should be no hurry to end that tally. Let him play out his career as a leader with the club he has come to anchor. Don’t let him fizzle out his last days with Manchester United or anything like that.
We will be following this story through it’s duration. Hopefully that won’t be that long and he gets a new deal soon.
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