José Fonte addressed the media on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s Barclays Premier League welcoming of Newcastle United.
Here are the key points from the briefing:
On not being picked by Portugal yet…
“I’m not going to lie – I’m disappointed. I’ve had a strong season in the best league in the world against the best strikers in the world. I certainly feel I’m good enough to deserve an opportunity but I respect the decision of the manager. He has good players to choose from.”
On his partnership with Dejan Lovren…
“We are good friends off the pitch. We have a lot in common – that helps on the pitch as well. We have conceded a few goals that we are not happy with but its something we look forwarding to improving.”
On how well Lovren’s settled…
“When you come to this club it’s quite easy to get familiar because we are a team that welcomes players and make them feel at home as much as we can so they can feel part of the group. I’m not surprised how well he (Lovren) has settled because it’s so easy to here.”
On the new Chairman, Ralph Krueger…
“We have a new Chairman now and he is a nice person, competent. We look forward to working with him and having successful years. He wants to take the Club in the right direction forward like we have been doing recently. We hope to push this club even higher.”
On Alan Pardew…
“He was the one who brought me here in the first place. We won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy with great memories at Wembley. I have only nice things to say about him. I’m grateful to him.”
On Newcastle…
“It’s not decisive but if we win we go above them. I’m sure they’ll be looking at it as a big game. It’ll be an interesting one.”
On Andre Marriner refereeing the game…
“We are aware of that but I don’t think it’s going to be a big issue. We know he has a tough job to do. I’m sure he will want to be perfect on Saturday. We players need to focus on our game.”
On the Europa League…
“We had a vision at the beginning of the season that we were looking to get into the Europa League. The season started very well and we were looking good. We had a bad period through December that dropped us a little bit.
“There are seven games to go to get as high as possible. We know it’s going to be difficult to get above Manchester United and Newcastle but we will do our best to get there.”
On Mauricio Pochettino…
“We players love to play under him. We love his philosophy, his style of play. He’s definitely one of the best managers I’ve played under.
“If we want to keep getting better, there’s no doubt in my mind that we need to keep Mauricio.”
On a new contract…
“I’m comfortable and calm about my future. I’ve played a lot of games this season. I’m waiting for Southampton to make a move if they want me to stay, then obviously we’ll discuss the terms. I’m just waiting and trying my best towards the end of the season.
“We’ve been through so much through the last four seasons. We’re doing so well. The fans and I have a good relationship. I love being here and I’m enjoying every single minute of my time here. I’d love to stay and play for many more years here. So far, I’m waiting to see what happens and I’m focusing on my game.”
On his time at Saints so far…
“I knew we would be successful. I couldn’t imagine how good it would be. It was a great time in league one when we won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
“The promotion parties stick in your memory and the hard games in League 1 and the Championship. When we got promoted to the Premier League it was a great day with great emotions.”
On Adam Lallana…
“I’ve been with him since League 1 for four years. He’s technically so good and competing with the best. This season he’s become even stronger. He’s become a top, top player. He works very hard – he’s one of the hardest worker. He’s a great example for us and the kids.”
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