Manchester United aren’t done with their transfer business it seems, despite Jose Mourinho stating that he has made those “four” signings he needed at the start of the season. The Red Devils are planning a move for Jose Fonte of Southampton and are looking to shore up the defence.
Fonte, who recently won Euro 2016 with Portugal, is seen as a cheap option for the Premier League side and it does seem that Southampton will not stand in the way of the defender in case a bid of over £8 million does come their way.
That amount would be peanuts for Manchester United considering what they have paid in the transfer market recently for their stars but the big question is should they sign the experienced defender?
Cover is a necessity
One problem for Manchester United is a lack of cover in the central defence. While Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo can play in the heart of the defence, they aren’t the best in this role. The other problem is that Manchester United recently sold Paddy McNair, who signed for Sunderland under former United manager David Moyes.
The need to have cover would be extremely important, especially in the Premier League, and we did see how Arsenal fared against Liverpool when the London side were without experienced central defenders in their opening game of the season.
Manchester United also have a bit of a problem when it comes to Eric Bailly. The new signing for Villarreal has looked impressive for the Manchester club but he will be away in January due to African Cup of Nations duty and with the Christmas and New Year schedule being so tight, the Premier League club needs to have a solid reliable defender who can do the job when he is brought into the team.
The biggest obstacle in this deal could be the fact that Fonte is 32-years of age. While there have been players who are doing well even in their mid-30s, John Terry being one, bringing Fonte now is certainly a gamble by Jose Mourinho but his fellow Portuguese could end up doing really well under the manager.
Fonte does have a load of experience, he has made over 267 appearances for Southampton starting from League One to now starring in the Premier League and he would be a quality cover for both Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly should it come to that.
The Portuguese defender also is a consistent player and that could be the key reason why Mourinho wants him. The experience and consistency, and the price make this deal fantastic and United should not waste time on it and complete the deal as soon as possible. They will not get a quality defender like this for £8 million anywhere else in the world.