Gutted: Virgil van Dijk sends message on Twitter about Jose Fonte’s move to West Ham

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West Ham have snapped up Jose Fonte from Southampton – prompting a reaction from Virgil van Dijk on Twitter.

Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk has taken to Twitter to send a message to Jose Fonte, after he left the club in order to join Premier League rivals West Ham.

Whilst players like Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mane have all left Southampton in recent years, Fonte had been the most reliable pillar at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Southampton’s Jose Fonte in action with West Ham United’s Simone Zaza

With almost 300 appearances to his name since joining from Crystal Palace, Fonte had become the rock in the Southampton defence, even becoming club captain having proven himself as a real leader in the back four.

Fonte, 33, even proved his talent at Euro 2016, helping Portugal spring a surprise to win the tournament, and he started this season in imperious form alongside Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the Southampton defence.

Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk and Jose Fonte during the warm up

However, with an impasse between Fonte and Southampton over a new contract, the centre back pushed for a move away from the South Coast, and his seven-year stint with Southampton came to an end on Friday.

Fonte surprisingly decided to join West Ham United, with Sky Sports reporting that his return to London set the Hammers back around £8million, whilst the defender himself penned a two-and-a-half year deal at the London Stadium.

Fonte will now be hoping to become as much of a hero at West Ham as he was with Southampton, and his departure was clearly felt by centre back partner Van Dijk, who took to Twitter after the move was confirmed.

Van Dijk posted a photo of himself with Fonte in training, thanking him for everything he has done for Van Dijk himself as well as the club, adding that it was a pleasure to play with him, and that he was ‘gutted’ to see him depart.

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