Sunderland have confirmed their first change to the backroom staff of the summer, with the appointment of former Southampton and Lille centre-half, José Fonte.
The 42-year-old former Portugal international and Euro winner joins the Black Cats after hanging up his boots following a stellar 24-year career in which he racked up over 900 appearances and earned 50 caps for Portugal. Appointed in a role that is loosely described as a “Technical Assistant Coach”, he’ll work alongside Alessandro Barcherini and Michael Proctor supporting Régis Le Bris for the upcoming season.
Arguably, Fonte will be best known on British soil for his contributions in red and white, albeit on the South coast with Southampton. Fonte was with the club as they climbed from League One to the Premier League and made 288 appearances and scored 15 goals for the Saints over his 7-year tenure. Fonte also featured for Crystal Palace and West Ham United in England.
Fonte then signed for Lille in the 2018/2019 season, following his time at West Ham and a short spell in China with Dalian Yifang, and became an instrumental figure for Les Dogues. Fonte amassed 196 appearances and scored 9 goals for the club and his time in France was crowned with the club’s first Ligue 1 title in a decade and then winning the
Fonte already has a connection with the current Sunderland squad. Fonte captained the victorious Lille side in their Ligue 1 triumph, with a certain Reinildo Mandava playing to his left. Not only does this help Fonte transition into his role but the manner in which Reinildo holds the former-defender is something to take note of.
Reinildo shared heartfelt post on his Instagram page, following José Fonte’s retirement, loosely translated from Portuguese he said:
Thank you very much, my captain, my brother, my mentor, my source of inspriation. An exemplary professional, someone who always made me mirror myself try to follow in your footsteps and try to be like you – that is what I always told you and continue to say. It was a massive privelege to have shared not only the locker room but also many laughs
Such strong words from a seasoned professional speak volumes about the impact and character Fonte has and can only be seen as a positive sign ahead of his time with Sunderland.
Director of Football, Florent Ghisolfi, on Fonte’s appointment:
José joins our coaching team with a wealth of experience as a player at the top level. He will bring that experience, along with tremendous energy, to a technical staff that is already performing outstandingly under the guidance of Régis. We believe those qualities, combined with his strong leadership skills, will add great value to our club as we look to push forward both in the Premier League and on the European stage. We’re delighted to welcome José to Sunderland AFC.
Fonte’s arrival would suggest a desire to improve the team’s defensive structure and tactical stability, whilst also adding a proven leader to the backroom staff, a leader who has experience with playing at the top level and winning titles.
