Five months after leaving Premier League West Ham United for a move to China, Portugal’s World Cup centre-back Jose Fonte is a free agent.
Jose Fonte’s spell at West Ham United was a massive let down. But that pales into insignificance compared to his disastrous spell in the Chinese Super League.
The Portuguese centre-back left the London Stadium in January to join Dalian Yifang for a fee of £5 million, £3 million less than West Ham paid for him. And, five months later, Fonte now finds himself as a free agent after announcing his departure on his personal Instagram account.
In total, the 34-year-old former Southampton powerhouse made just seven league appearances for Yifang. He lost five, drew the other two and endured a miserable debut when Dalian were thrashed 8-0 by Shanghai SIPG.
But a player with Fonte’s experience at both club and international level should not be written off just yet. Even in his mid-30s, the 35-time international and Euro 2016 champion should have little trouble finding a new club.
And although he was well below his best during that 13 month stay at the London Stadium, it seems that even a few supporters would even be willing to take Fonte back now he is available on a free transfer – though plenty of others disagree.
The Hammers are on the lookout for a new centre-back despite the addition of Paraguayan international Fabian Balbuena, particularly after Winston Reid was ruled out for a number of months. But should Fonte really be on their radar again?
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