José Fonte joined Southampton from Crystal Palace in January 2010, having spent two-and-a-half seasons at Selhurst Park. Prior to that he had been at a number of clubs in his native Portugal and also been capped at U21 level for his country.

A footballing defender, he is customarily a commanding presence in both penalty areas and adept at switching Saints from defence, by neat distribution or taking the ball forward through his own midfield, or even raiding down the wing.

José made a significant contribution to Saints’ promotion campaign and his importance to the team was underlined when the club’s supporters voted him as their Player of the Season and he was also selected by his fellow professionals for the PFA League One team of the season.