Southampton: New contract for wanted defender; Austin speaks out; Tadic focused on Friday

By grvadmin

Jose Fonte has been a centre of St Marys speculation in the last couple of months. The Euro 2016 winner has been linked to Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton in that time, and while a big money move has “tempted” Fonte, Southampton remain confident that he will stay at the club.

The Daily Echo maintains that the club haven’t received any offers for their captain, and it is understood that club management are confident that he will sign a new contract. The 32-year-old has been offered a significant pay rise on his current deal, which runs until 2018, to bring him into the Saints’ list of top earners.

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The club want to ensure that Fonte knows how vital he is to the club, and as such want the Portuguese to have a contract that reflects it.

Links to Manchester United have been especially strong, accompanied by the belief that Fonte is interested in working under compatriot and fellow Jorge Mendes client Jose Mourinho.

For now, no offers have been made and Fonte remains a Southampton player.

It is looking increasingly likely that Charlie Austin will also remain at the club after a post on his social media accounts.

The striker has been linked with a move to Everton just six months after moving to the south coast, with new boss Ronald Koeman eyeing a quick reunion.

Austin took to Twitter too seemingly emphasise his commitment to the Saints:

The 27-year-old seems to be an important part of Claude Puel’s plans as the Frenchman looks to keep his squad intact for the coming campaign.

Austin has impressed at every level he’s played at, but injuries have continually hounded the Englishman. If he can move past those troubles, he could be a seriously important player for the Saints this season.

Dusan Tadic has said that the Southampton squad will focus on themselves and not their opposition this week, as they look for a third successive win at Old Trafford this weekend against Manchester United.

Tadic is no stranger to the fixture, having previously scored at the famous ground, and he emphasised how important it is for Southampton to concentrate on their own play.

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“Always you need to know something about the opponent, but you need always to be focused on yourself most and then everything comes in the right place if you are focused 100 per cent on your performance,” said Tadic.

“We know it will be really tough because Man United is much stronger than last year, but we will give our best to get a good result.”

Mourinho’s new look United will be tough to beat, and looked devastatingly effective against Bournemouth at the weekend, but Southampton have a good record at Old Trafford recently and will look to build under their new manager.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Ai Kagou

Will also writes for Football Ticket Net, his choice for Southampton tickets.