Sky reporting Fonte in talks with Villa

I've seen quite a lot of that agent , mendes, through various interviews/player talk over the years. slimy fella.

doesn't surprise me that he's stirring things up since being the agent for fonte, exactly what I'd expect him to do and to be fair, he's damn good at it!

not sure how to categorise this rumour. It's ridiculously out of the blue, and can't really be compared to any other transfer over the last 2 years. They aren't a bigger club, and it's not like he'll get more gametime (a la Cork > Swansea). So all the comparisons to 'it happened with lallana' are a bit pointless.

It's the kind of transfer that's so left field though, it almost must have come from some ITK.

At the end of the day though, fonte does seem genuinely happy to be at saints. He is really well respected and liked, and he was one of the two players along with Kelvin who were specifically informed about last summer and the fact that we had a plan in place, and not to worry. They took both aside to calm any fears about their transfer goings-on. So they clearly see him as a key part of the club, someone who has influence.

I said the exact same thing last summer when Lambert to Liverpool was first rumoured:?

The major difference between that situation and this is that Lambert was being offered a mammoth pay rise to go and play for the team he has supported his whole life.

What exactly can Aston Villa offer Fonte that we can't?

The major difference between that situation and this is that Lambert was being offered a mammoth pay rise to go and play for the team he has supported his whole life.

 

What exactly can Aston Villa offer Fonte that we can't?

Not saying its true -think its horses**t; but hypothetically we might have accepted a bid for him rather than an agent clamouring for a move.

The Gully stuff reminds me of an article I read about Gilbert the Gull:

http://babb.telegraph.co.uk/2014/10/torquay-mascot-gilbert-the-gull-challenges-fans-to-fight-after-swearing-at-them/

The Babb writers said

"According to the Torquay Herald Express, the mascot’s behaviour led to 'a clash with fans and some choice words not befitting a friendly Gull being exchanged.' Quite possibly the most magnificent sentence in the history of the English language."

Hilarious.

SSN is just embarrassing now. There's a guy stood in front of a big screen displaying the word INVESTIGATING while he reads the words from Steve Cotterill's press conference in relation to them signing Dwight Gayle.

It's not quite Woodward and Bernstein

Perhaps Jose is in talks about buying a Villa. These things can easily get misunderstood.

I doubt Fonte wants to leave and I don't think he earns what a player of his status should do. I certainly doubt it's as much as we were offering Toby and other targets. That's an educated guess based on the fact he has decided to change his agent. Said agent is now doing his job.

What's more interesting is how much would it take for Les to consider selling? I'm sure they are aware of just how important he is in the dressing room and his leadership on the pitch, but everybody has a price

I've now got rabid Aston Villa fans going for me on Twitter because I said they're not what they were, they're a relegation battler with a loudmouth manager who needs to prove his worth and an owner who is looking to sell and move on.

 

Oh boy.

 

Apparently we're a 'yo-yo club', nobody knows who we are and none of our players want to be here.

Do they think anyone in the Phillippines knows who they are nowadays then?

Even I only barely remember them winning the European Cup, and Forest won it twice within the 4 years prior to that. Nottingham Forest, ffs. Back in a time when you could barely watch the European Cup Final in Britain if there wasn't a British team in the final, never mind around the parts of the world they think they're famous in.

Them and Newcastle are the has-beens of the Premier League.

Overall, I'm sticking to my theory that he's here this season and gone next summer, it's due.

We won't sell him. But that is what we generally do though. Sell players

Agree - we won't. As to selling players - no different than any other club - would make the transfer window null and void methinks. [emoji6]

If anything comes of this, I will be seriously depressed. You don't sell Jose Fonte. He is the bedrock of our already-depleted defence. Please say this isn't anything close to being true, and that it's just hew agent playing silly buggers.

Well, we wont at the moment as Caulker is out injured this weekend.

The major difference between that situation and this is that Lambert was being offered a mammoth pay rise to go and play for the team he has supported his whole life.

 

What exactly can Aston Villa offer Fonte that we can't?

Better baltis

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SSN is just embarrassing now. There's a guy stood in front of a big screen displaying the word INVESTIGATING while he reads the words from Steve Cotterill's press conference in relation to them signing Dwight Gayle.

 

It's not quite Woodward and Bernstein

Dwight Gayle doesn't want to go there, he wants to go to Fulham. However, part of the deal between Bristol City and Palace was that in order to sign Gayle, Bristol City would have to forfeit their right to any % of a fee received for Yannick Bolasie if/when he leaves Palace.

So I was told.

Dwight Gayle doesn't want to go there, he wants to go to Fulham. However, part of the deal between Bristol City and Palace was that in order to sign Gayle, Bristol City would have to forfeit their right to any % of a fee received for Yannick Bolasie if/when he leaves Palace.

 

So I was told.

You'll get nowhere in that industry unless you claim it was the result of your INVESTIGATION, young man.

You'll get nowhere in that industry unless you claim it was the result of your INVESTIGATION, young man.

I mean, I investigated and found that out. Definitely wasn't just told it.

If anything comes of this, I will be seriously depressed. You don't sell Jose Fonte. He is the bedrock of our already-depleted defence. Please say this isn't anything close to being true, and that it's just hew agent playing silly buggers.

The agent wouldn't be doing stuff to unsettle Fonte independent of him. The fact that he has a new high profile agent says something in itself, he clearly isn't going to just be sitting on his hands doing nothing for his client and would have some kind of plan/strategy with the player.

Koeman on Fonte: "I don't for one second want to sell this player"

Ronald Koeman on José Fonte: "I don't have one second in my mind to sell that player. No way to selling the player."

Koeman - "not for sale at all, rubbish"

Stand down everyone.

RK - just great!

My sources tell me that Koeman doesn't want to sell Fonte. Relax everyone.

Haha.. ****ing hell... what a drama over spilt milk. This place is insane. You're making me insane.

Good that's what we like to here Ronald.....

Of course now Les will sell him and Koeman will walk out?

So glad someone asked him - that's that cleared up then (barring a Fabian Delph style turn around)

The thing is when you hear this stuff now although I'm 99% sure it's untrue, after last summer, I always have a little doubt.....must go and say some Hail Marys for my sins

So glad someone asked him - that's that cleared up then (barring a Fabian Delph style turn around)

Wouldn't matter if the club didn't want to sell anyway - signed up til end of 2016/17 season and it's not like we have a large signing bonus to recoup. Could easily make him play out his contract if it was necessary.

Haha.. ****ing hell... what a drama over spilt milk. This place is insane. You're making me insane.

Not really. It was reported so people are discussing the possibility. It's not particularly surprising that people would express their displeasure at the rumour.

RK clear on Fonte. Delia clear on VVD. Neither player for sale.

I have been at the health suite this morning. I was doing some work on a tread mill

on another machine , RK was do some gentle walking, I asked him how his Hamstring injury was, , he. said he didn't have a hamstring injury

he told me it was rib injury he had sustained, I said how did he get that, He said the through the constant laughing re the all the ludicrous transfer rumours re saints and him becoming the dutch national coach etc.

I decided not to ask him about the fonte rumour, damaged ribs are a very painful . so didn't want to add to his painful ribs

RK clear on Fonte. Delia clear on VVD. Neither player for sale.

Not exactly.

Not exactly.

Which bit isn't exact?

Not exactly.

Hahahahaha! Now that's just cruel.

I thought Delia said "We don't need the money"

This won't happen unless Ron wants it to happen. No way on earth the club would sell the skipper from under him , as that would totally undermine him. No way Fonte would swap Saints for Villa , even for a pay rise ( as I doubt it'll be big enough) . That leaves 2 explanations , agent putting pressure on club for new deal or Ron feeling he can bring in an upgrade . Maybe Ron doesn't rate him as highly as some of us and now the ships settled and he's got his feet firmly under the table Ron feels its time to say " thanks, but goodbye" . Bill Shankly used to say that one major part of good management is spotting when a player tipped over the top of the hill before anyone else noticed, and getting rid. Maybe Ron feels this is the case here. One thing is for sure, he knows more about centre halves than any of us. I'll be gutted if he goes, but trust Ron & Les will do what's right for the club.

KOEMAN: FONTE NOT FOR SALE

Ronald Koeman says Southampton will not consider selling captain Jose Fonte this summer.

Earlier we reported that Aston Villa were in talks with the defender, but Koeman has just told a press conference: "He is our captain, he is a very strong defender and he is a club man like Kelvin Davis.

"I don’t think for one second think about selling him. He is our captain. There is no way we will sell him."

Fonte has been immense for us, there is absolutely no way we should sell him to make room for van dijk as captain. Would much rather we went elsewhere then unsettle our most consistent and important performer.

I have been at the health suite this morning. I was doing some work on a tread mill

 

on another machine , RK was do some gentle walking, I asked him how his Hamstring injury was, , he. said he didn't have a hamstring injury

he told me it was rib injury he had sustained, I said how did he get that, He said the through the constant laughing re the all the ludicrous transfer rumours re saints and him becoming the dutch national coach etc.

 

I decided not to ask him about the fonte rumour, damaged ribs are a very painful . so didn't want to add to his painful ribs

Fonte has been immense for us, there is absolutely no way we should sell him to make room for van dijk as captain. Would much rather we went elsewhere then unsettle our most consistent and important performer.

Think that Captain stuff is ********. Van Dijk wouldnt care about that.

Pretty clear RK would be livid (rightly so) if we agreed to sell Fonte so better hope Reed has the same view, I'm sure he will.

Re VVD pretty clear from Koeman comments re end of window that it will be after the CL qualifiers if we sign him.

In terms of the Delia being clear on VVD bit I would add that most quotes seem to infer that he will remain with Celtic until the Champs League qualifiers are over but after that is much more unclear.

My sources close to the club are telling me Fonte is Portuguese.

In terms of the Delia being clear on VVD bit I would add that most quotes seem to infer that he will remain with Celtic until the Champs League qualifiers are over but after that is much more unclear.

Martinez also very clear on Stones. Will be amazed if he is still at Everton in September, but fair play if he is.

What do people want the Manager's to say? Of course they say their best players aren't for sale.

I don't think Fonte will go, but there is obviously a reason (money) that this has come up.

Which bit isn't exact?

The VVD bit

My sources close to the club are telling me Fonte is Portuguese.

Lol [emoji3]

I think the man appreciates the relationship he has with the club and the supporters. I remember years ago him being full of praise for the St Marys crowd (well done Northam) for singing the Jose Fonte Baby song for him after he'd just made a rare blunder and his head was down; it really lifted him; and the same thing happened at St James's on Sunday.

Isn't there a conflict of interest with Sky having the major Sports News Channel in the country and then making up stories which influence gullible people to place bets on Skybet?

Skybet is the only UK bookmaker with a sister company that can influence the market significantly through "news" stories.

Story in the Independent about it here... http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/ian-herbert-sky-sports-reports-sky-bet-reacts--is-there-a-conflict-of-interest-8807662.html

Martinez also very clear on Stones. Will be amazed if he is still at Everton in September, but fair play if he is.

 

What do people want the Manager's to say? Of course they say their best players aren't for sale.

 

I don't think Fonte will go, but there is obviously a reason (money) that this has come up.

Don't get me wrong I wouldn't expect any manager to say they thought a player would leave (though it does happen - see Austin/Fer at QPR for example, not that either has gone yet). My point was that Delia had left a window of doubt regarding VVD though by only really specifying that he would be at Celtic for at least the Champs League qualifiers.

Glad that Koeman has nipped this one in the bud quickly however in regards to Fonte.

Isn't there a conflict of interest with Sky having the major Sports News Channel in the country and then making up stories which influence gullible people to place bets on Skybet?

 

Skybet is the only UK bookmaker with a sister company that can influence the market significantly through "news" stories.

No.

KOEMAN: FONTE NOT FOR SALE

 

Ronald Koeman says Southampton will not consider selling captain Jose Fonte this summer.

 

Earlier we reported that Aston Villa were in talks with the defender, but Koeman has just told a press conference: "He is our captain, he is a very strong defender and he is a club man like Kelvin Davis.

 

"I don’t think for one second think about selling him. He is our captain. There is no way we will sell him."

I don't know, not very concrete from Ronnie. My guess is he'll be on the Peaky Blinders tour of Birmingham this weekend after extolling Sherwood's promise of one on one sessions.

(sarcasm)