Fonte: Chamberlain should stay, for now.

[forever a red and white]

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/live_feed/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer_league_1_and_2/11/04/19/manual_151327.html&ID=&BID=4

 

Southampton defender Jose Fonte is keen for team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to remain at the club for another year.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, 17, has attracted interest from Premier League clubs, and was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year alongside Fonte and three other Saints players.

 

Fonte told the PFA: "Everyone knows he has great talent, but above all that he's a great kid. He wants to learn, he listens to you and he wants to do better for himself. He's only going to go up.

 

"He already plays for a big club, but there's no doubt he's going to play for a very big club in the Champions League soon. I have no doubt about that, although one more year at Southampton would be good."

[Toomer]

I could not agree more with Jose but a business contact of mine close to his dad told me that he was off to the Arse in the close season.

[Thedelldays]

I can see him leaving no matter what league we are in...difference this time, I can see all the money we get up front being given straight back to the 1st team

[sfc4prem]

Replace him with someone like Pilkington please.

[CHAZZA 92]

A season long loan back to us next season from arsenal would be good if he does go

[Andyb1]

and here we go again..

[Matthew Le God]

A season long loan back to us next season from arsenal would be good if he does go

 

What would be the point in that? Might as well keep him for the extra season and see his value go up.

[Saint Charlie]

Full interview: http://www.givemefootball.com/league-one/pfa-exclusive-interview-jose-fonte

[for_heaven's_Saint]

At least if he does leave in the summer we'll already be used to him not being in the line up due to his injury!

[Barry the Badger]

What would be the point in that? Might as well keep him for the extra season and see his value go up.

 

He gets the higher wages from Arsenal a year earlier. We get him still playing for us for a year.

[Matthew Le God]

He gets the higher wages from Arsenal a year earlier. We get him still playing for us for a year.

 

He is under contract with Saints until June 2013. Saints can turn down bids for him, as they already have done in January this year. Before he turns 20 he could possibly be a Premier League player with Saints, he has plenty of time to move to a Champions League club if he wishes later on.

Edited 19 April, 2011 by Matthew Le God

[Give it to Ron]

He is under contract with Saints until June 2013. Saints can turn down bids for him, as they already have done in January this year. Before he turns 20 he could possibly be a Premier League player with Saints, he has plenty of time to move to a Champions League club if he wishes later on.

 

But like most footballers they want it now - one tackle could end the dream.

Contracts in football tend not to mean much if a players wants away.

[Matthew Le God]

But like most footballers they want it now - one tackle could end the dream.

Contracts in football tend not to mean much if a players wants away.

 

Well he didn't leave in January even though teams made firm bids for him.

[Barry the Badger]

Well he didn't leave in January even though teams made firm bids for him.

 

Which indicates he was clearly in no rush to leave mid season, didn't kick up a fuss.

 

If he wants to go this summer we will let him, in my opinion.

 

If you think we can force him to stay and watch his value increase you are being totally unrealistic.

[Saint_clark]

Which indicates he was clearly in no rush to leave mid season, didn't kick up a fuss.

 

If he wants to go this summer we will let him, in my opinion.

 

If you think we can force him to stay and watch his value increase you are being totally unrealistic.

 

It's not exactly in his interests to stay, kick up a fuss and have a completely sh*t season either.

[Matthew Le God]

Which indicates he was clearly in no rush to leave mid season, didn't kick up a fuss.

 

If he wants to go this summer we will let him, in my opinion.

 

If you think we can force him to stay and watch his value increase you are being totally unrealistic.

 

I think you are being unrealistic if you think that after pressuring Cortese to let him move, that Cortese would then be happy to have him in the squad as not a proper Saints player.

[sambosa75]

A few people have had this debate with MLG. I admire his optimism but it simply wont happen. He will be gone and in my opinion I think he'd be mad to go to Arsenal instead of Man Utd.

 

He will get a quality education at Man Utd but also the realistic chance of some first team football to aid his development. At Arsenal he will be stick behind Nasri, Wilshere, Ramsay, Diaby and Song in the centre and Walcott and Arshavin on the right.

 

If the money we have now puts us in a position where we can tell clubs to put up or shut up, then I say we should sell him. Next season is going to be of monumental importance to the club and money will need to be spent on a few positions. If we could get c.£10m straight up for AOC and put that straight back in to the first team it would put us in a very strong position to win promotion at the first time of asking.

 

That said, if clubs offer us incentivised deals like the Walcott and Bale transfers I would tell them to poke it. I am guessing this is the real reason Cortese rejected any offers that were made.

[LGTL]

We won't see him play for us again, which is exactly what I said when he hobbled off at Charlton. All IMO of course.

[Matthew Le God]

All IMO of course.

 

Glad that was made clear! Not someone else's opinion then?

[LGTL]

Well knowing you, you would have asked me for my source.

[Dellman]

People say contracts in football don't mean much but judging by the Puncheon episode NC is trying to show they are two-sided and both sides have to honour them, good luck to him, player power needs checking lets hope NC and Saints lead the way!

[Saint_clark]

I'm in the minority of people that think we'll actually keep him next season, it seems.

[Colinjb]

I'm in the minority of people that think we'll actually keep him next season, it seems.

 

If we go up I believe he'll still be here. If we don't, bye bye birdy.

[Bucks Saint]

I'm in the minority of people that think we'll actually keep him next season, it seems.

 

Yep agreed. He still has a great deal to learn and while the lure of big clubs is impossible to ignore, the lessons of Walcott (went backwards and even now there are plenty of doubts), Bale (took some time before Redknapp let him play - long before anyone apart from us thought he was a world beater) and Lallana (could have moved on but secured himself a great deal and regular first team football) will not be lost on him / his father

[Matthew Le God]

I'm in the minority of people that think we'll actually keep him next season, it seems.

 

I think he will stay as long as Saints are still noticeably progressing towards the top flight. After all he is 17 years old and could potentially be a Premier League player in 13 or 25 months time without having to move anywhere and in that time be playing regular football for a club he has been with for the last 10 years.

 

If we don't go up this season - he'll leave

If we do go up this season - he'll stay

 

If Saints make a promotion charge in the Championship next season - he'll stay

If Saints struggle in the Championship next season - he'll go

 

and so on...

Edited 19 April, 2011 by Matthew Le God

[JonnyLove]

I have heard from a very unreliable source with a small link to AC that the deal is done with arsenal for £10 and we get to keep him next season on loan. But personally I see this as someone just taking what they have heard in the papers and just thinking that this is the case.

[SaintChrispy]

I have heard from a very unreliable source with a small link to AC that the deal is done with arsenal for £10 and we get to keep him next season on loan. But personally I see this as someone just taking what they have heard in the papers and just thinking that this is the case.

 

Blimey £10, thats cheap .

[ivangolac]

I could not agree more with Jose but a business contact of mine close to his dad told me that he was off to the Arse in the close season.

 

This.

 

25k a week plus 1M signing on fee.

 

I'm afraid we will not see him in a Saints again.

[Matthew Le God]

25k a week plus 1M signing on fee.

 

I'm afraid we will not see him in a Saints again.

 

Then why did Saints turn down bids in January and Alex stayed?

[Window Cleaner]

Unfazed myself.

 

I'd rather have the 10 million to spend on the 2 players that we'll really need next season than a boy wonder myself.

 

Now if we were in line for promotion to the PL it would be different.

 

I think AOC might well struggle against players with a bit more savvy so £10 million...this way please

[ivangolac]

Then why did Saints turn down bids in January and Alex stayed?

 

All I know is he has agreed his terms with Arsenal. I suppose Saints could hold him to his contract and miss out on a decent fee - never happens though does it

[NickG]

I honestly don't think anyone other than Cortese and Adkins knows what will happen.

 

Solent and their sources within the club had it as a def done deal in January.

[NickG]

All I know is he has agreed his terms with Arsenal. I suppose Saints could hold him to his contract and miss out on a decent fee - never happens though does it

 

apart from 3 months ago

[Smirking_Saint]

IMO he has already gone.

 

FWIW, and it is only IMO i admire your optimism MLG, but in reality, Cortese can only bat away so many offers and put up so much of a defence, until that time that Chambo turns around and says enough is enough (if he hasn't already)

 

Great player, top top potential (yes he IS better than the technically lacking Walcott) but unfortunately he came through at the wrong time a la Walcott and Bale.

[Julian H. Cope]

I could not agree more with Jose but a business contact of mine close to his dad told me that he was off to the Arse in the close season.

 

I have also heard this from a source close to his family. Still £10m for a 17yr old is good business for us.

[Barry the Badger]

I think you are being unrealistic if you think that after pressuring Cortese to let him move, that Cortese would then be happy to have him in the squad as not a proper Saints player.

 

Try again pedant man :-) I don't think you will find me at any point saying that I think a loan back is likely or possible in this case. I simply answered your question about what is the point in those sorts of deals.

 

For what it's worth, I think he may well want to stay and that being the case I don't think we would look to sell him. But, if he wants to go this summer, he will go this summer.

[jam]

While I hope he stays, is it so far fetched that NC and another club, be it Manchester Utd or Arse, have done a deal for AOC to move at the end of the season? That way all parties are happy.

 

The destination club get their player and if it is a top club then he wouldn't feature this season anyway so they aren't inconvenienced. AOC gets his move without kicking up a fuss and the opportunity to play a few more games here. We get to keep him for the run in and not lose any face by selling another starlet at the first opportunity.

 

If course, If I was the buying club then I'd want some sort of assurance that if he had any sort of injury then he'd be nowhere near the first team squad...

[jam]

apart from 3 months ago

 

If that's true. Besides there could be loads of other factors to consider there.

 

(I assume you're referring to the JP thread?)

[Chez]

will this supposed Arsenal move be allowed by the Arsenal top brass? I mean they continue to fail to win anything and I just wonder if buying yet another top class youngster will be acceptable when thw fans are demanding some world class senior pros?

[rooney]

I think he will stay as long as Saints are still noticeably progressing towards the top flight. After all he is 17 years old and could potentially be a Premier League player in 13 or 25 months time without having to move anywhere and in that time be playing regular football for a club he has been with for the last 10 years.

 

If we don't go up this season - he'll leave

If we do go up this season - he'll stay

 

If Saints make a promotion charge in the Championship next season - he'll stay

If Saints struggle in the Championship next season - he'll go

 

and so on...

 

That seems a sensible point of view to go along with.

[Wade Garrett]

I have also heard this from a source close to his family. Still £10m for a 17yr old is good business for us.

 

I also heard this from my brother who heard it from a source close to the family.

 

My brother is full of sh*t though.

[St_Tel49]

I could not agree more with Jose but a business contact of mine close to his dad told me that he was off to the Arse in the close season.

 

I find it difficult to believe that the lad's Dad would divulge information like that even to close acquaintances unless he trusted them - in which case his trust has been misplaced.

[hughieslastminutegoal]

I could not agree more with Jose but a business contact of mine close to his dad told me that he was off to the Arse in the close season.

 

Surely the injury he's had shows him just how tenuous a career in pro football can be. If he was my son I'd tell him to get as good a contract as possible as soon as possible, and safeguard the rest of his life much as possible.

 

No brainer for me really.

[sambosa75]

I think he will stay as long as Saints are still noticeably progressing towards the top flight. After all he is 17 years old and could potentially be a Premier League player in 13 or 25 months time without having to move anywhere and in that time be playing regular football for a club he has been with for the last 10 years.

 

If we don't go up this season - he'll leave

If we do go up this season - he'll stay

 

If Saints make a promotion charge in the Championship next season - he'll stay

If Saints struggle in the Championship next season - he'll go

 

and so on...

 

Again, what you are saying makes sense but it very rarely is actually the case. Leeds were improving considerably when Fabien Delph broke through and left at the first opportunity to go to Villa where he currently doesnt get a look in.

[Give it to Ron]

Or look at this way from a business point of view....like Cortese, you have £10m to either a) fund your CC side b) replace the players you have that will probably leave rather than face another year in League 1.

As a fan I want him to stay....but then again I can see why we would sell.

[Give it to Ron]

Then why did Saints turn down bids in January and Alex stayed?

 

Because not many players move in January as clubs are relucatnt to sell as they are either going for promotion or staving off relegation.

Who would we of got to replace him in this crucial season

[stu0x]

If we could get c.£10m straight up for AOC and put that straight back in to the first team it would put us in a very strong position to win promotion at the first time of asking.

Football transfers simply don't work this way. Even discounting the myriad of 'deductions' and even when a fee is fixed (ie no performance incentives etc), the money is not paid in a lump sum up front.

 

99% of the time transfers are paid in 3 installments - 25% at time of transfer, 25% 12 months later, remainder 12 months after that. For whatever reason that has become the de facto payment policy for transfers.

 

This is why you quite often hear of clubs selling players when they still owe money to the club they bought the player from.

 

The transfer fantasy maths that fans play simply don't work because fees are never paid in one hit up front.

[sambosa75]

Football transfers simply don't work this way. Even discounting the myriad of 'deductions' and even when a fee is fixed (ie no performance incentives etc), the money is not paid in a lump sum up front.

 

99% of the time transfers are paid in 3 installments - 25% at time of transfer, 25% 12 months later, remainder 12 months after that. For whatever reason that has become the de facto payment policy for transfers.

 

This is why you quite often hear of clubs selling players when they still owe money to the club they bought the player from.

 

The transfer fantasy maths that fans play simply don't work because fees are never paid in one hit up front.

 

What I meant was guaranteed payments. None of this "we'll give you an extra £2m if he plays 20 times for England before he's 21" or "We'll give you £1m if he scores 20 goals in his first 2 seasons etc..." It should be £10m, £2.5m now, £2.5m next season and £5m the season after, guaranteed. Not a deal that is incentivised and we are left without a player, reliant on him to fulfil his potential for us to get a fair deal. If you want our player, stump the money up.

[rallyboy]

I believe the deal is done and may well have been done in January - to the extent where his future employers convinced themselves they already owned him and could therefore influence his development by offering free advice regarding his selection and care.

A bit like telling your mate you will buy his car next year and then telling him not to take it out in the rain.

I'm sure Mr Cortese will have dealt with any external advice robustly.

 

Hopefully our terms are favourable and will allow us to build.

With time he should develop from a good player into a great player, I wish him well, but the money that has been quoted is far too good to turn down for a player whose form has been patchy.

Any deal won't sit well with Nicola's Barcelona dream but he is a businessman and sometimes people make you an unusually high offer and you can't say no.

It will be easier to hang onto academy players once we get out of this division.

 

I'd love to see him back before the end of the season but I fear we have seen the last of him.

Chamberlain that is, not Puncheon.

[Matthew Le God]

I believe the deal is done and may well have been done in January - to the extent where his future employers convinced themselves they already owned him and could therefore influence his development by offering free advice regarding his selection and care.

A bit like telling your mate you will buy his car next year and then telling him not to take it out in the rain.

I'm sure Mr Cortese will have dealt with any external advice robustly.

 

Hopefully our terms are favourable and will allow us to build.

With time he should develop from a good player into a great player, I wish him well, but the money that has been quoted is far too good to turn down for a player whose form has been patchy.

Any deal won't sit well with Nicola's Barcelona dream but he is a businessman and sometimes people make you an unusually high offer and you can't say no.

It will be easier to hang onto academy players once we get out of this division.

 

I'd love to see him back before the end of the season but I fear we have seen the last of him.

Chamberlain that is, not Puncheon.

 

So you think Cortese lied when he said he turned down bids in January by putting them in the bin?