West Ham and Everton in two-horse race for Jose Fonte
West Ham, defensively speaking, have been very poor for much of the season and it would be foolish of the club to continue to ignore it as a major flaw in the team.
According to the Mirror, West Ham and Everton are going head-to-head for the signing of wantaway Southampton skipper Jose Fonte this month.
The 33-year-old centre-back has handed in a transfer request with the south coast club in order to force a move away and has been dropped by manager Claude Puel in recent games until his future is resolved.
Fonte has been playing in English football for nearly a decade following his move from Benfica to Crystal Palace in July 2007.
He left the Eagles to sign for Southampton in January 2010 while the club were in League One and has been a regular in the side throughout their rise back to the Premier League.
Portugal have not overlooked his impressive form over the last few years, handing Fonte his international debut in November 2014. He’s gone on to win 19 caps to date and was part of the squad who were triumphant at Euro 2016 last summer.
Slaven Bilic has been promised a sizeable transfer budget this month and has made a move to sign Fonte but Southampton remain firm on their £12m asking price.