Jose Fonte is set to leave West Ham United just 13 months after he signed from Southampton.
West Ham fans were understandably a little confused when reports broke via the Daily Record on Thursday afternoon stating that centre-back Jose Fonte is set for an imminent move to China.
The Portuguese centre-back only signed for the Hammers for Southampton a year ago but is suddenly off to the Far East. It is understood that newly promoted Dalian Yifang will pay £4.8 million for the 34-year-old, who West Ham paid almost double for a year ago.
And the fans have taken to Twitter to once again question the wisdom of co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan. After all, it does seem odd to get rid of a senior player with three months left in the season and no chance of bringing in a replacement.
But perhaps there are some positives that can be taken out of this.
West Ham supporters have been critical of the decision to bring in players whose best days are probably behind them and 34-year-old Fonte, who has declined noticeably since moving to the Hammers, certainly falls into that category.
Instead, the club should surely be building around the talented youngsters within the squad, and Fonte’s departure should instead be seen as giving more of a front-line role to the likes of Declan Rice, who has impressed since breaking into the first team, or Reece Oxford provided he does not leave in the summer amid £12 million links with Atletico Madrid, as reported by the Sun.
So, hopefully, Fonte’s exit should be seen as a moment of change rather than another poor transfer decision.
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