360 Official:-: Fonte agrees Southampton contract extension

Jose Fonte has signed an extension to his
Southampton contract, tying him to the club until the
end of the 2017-18 season.

Southampton captain Jose Fonte has agreed a new deal with
the club which will run until 2018.

After moving to St Mary's Stadium from Crystal Palace in 2010,
the centre-back aided their rise from League One to the Premier
League.

In 2014, Fonte received his first international call-up and has
now represented Portugal on seven occasions.

And the 31-year-old is delighted to have extended his stay at
Southampton.

"I am obviously very pleased and very happy," Fonte told the
club's official website.

"I want to thank the manager [Ronald Koeman], [executive
director of football] Les Reed, [chairman] Ralph [Krueger],
[owner] Katharina [Liebherr] – all of the staff and all of the
board – for showing their trust and belief in me.

"I am extremely happy that they are giving me this opportunity
to keep being in this great club and I hope I can give back with
good performances and by helping the club move forward.

"This is where I feel happy and where I’ve been very successful,
so this is where I want to be and where I want to win."

Fonte is a role model, according to Koeman, and the Dutchman
is glad his future has been secured.

"I'm very pleased because he's an important player for the team
– he's our captain," he added.

"He has played already several years for the club and he is
really feeling well in Southampton – he's a great professional
and an example how you have to behave in football.

"He knows what you have to do to develop yourself, and I'm
very happy that he stays for more years."