West Ham United seem to have finally put aside their lust for a big money striker and are focusing on other areas of the pitch. While they will most likely get a new striker in before the end of the month along with another attacking player with Dimitri Payet all but certain to leave, they seem to be keen to bolster another problematic area of their field. The defence.
According to latest reports, West Ham and Southampton are into the latter stages of the negotiations involving the transfer of Jose Fonte to the London Stadium. The Portuguese international had stated his desire to seek newer ventures and it seems the club have acceded to his request.
Slaven Bilic has not revealed a lot in his latest press conference but has indicated that the club are in advanced stages regarding a transfer or two and an official announcement will likely be made shortly.
He said–
“[Fonte is] not having a medical today. We are not talking about transfers, we are working on some though.
“There are one or two players we need, it won’t be easy, but we are trying. Hopefully have something to announce in 24 hours.”
If the deal does go through, it will certainly be a loss for the Saints. They have been rocked by the transfer request and with the ongoing speculations regarding the interest in Fonte’s defensive partner Van Dijk, things aren’t the rosiest at St.Mary’s.
Jose Fonte is a Southampton legend in his own right. The centre-back has been through it all at the St.Mary’s Stadium. He started his professional career with Sporting B, moving to England with Crystal Palace in 2007. In 2010 he signed with Southampton, where he has made over 260 appearances across all competitions.
He started with them playing in the League One and has been an integral part of the journey as they featured in the Europa League. His determination and dedication finally reaped rewards on the International stage as he got his first cap for Portugal at the age of 30 and he went on to being a part of their history as they won the Euro Cup.
West Ham, however, will be more than pleased if they get this done. They have looked flaky and susceptible at the back and Slaven Bilic has Winston Reid, James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna as his only recognised senior central defenders. They need reinforcements and a player of the calibre of Fonte might be the perfect tonic for this season and the next, at least.
While the logic of swapping Southampton for West Ham might not be the most obvious thing to deduce right now, we can’t blame the player for seeking a new challenge towards the end of his career.
