Player on ‘financial choice’ to leave West Ham after David Moyes failed to convince him’

Jose Fonte turns 40-years-of-age this year, yet he’s still playing professional football at the highest level.

The Portuguese defender enjoyed a lot of success towards the end of his career, and is certainly a player who was able to benefit from his own experience.

Fonte’s career has included spells at eleven clubs. One of his more recent sides was West Ham, where he was from 2017 to 2018.

He left the Premier League club to move to China, and admits that was largely based on the financial packages which were then available in the country.

On top of that, Fonte didn’t feel David Moyes really wanted to keep him at the Hammers, and therefore an exit was the logical conclusion for him.

Speaking to L’Equipe about his long career, the 39-year-old was asked about his move from West Ham to China, and told the French newspaper: “It was of course a financial choice. I was at West Ham and just came back after four months with an ankle injury.

“I was ready but I wasn’t playing. I wasn’t convinced with David Moyes’ answers. He said to me: ‘If you leave I’d understand’. At 34 it was a very good opportunity.”

Fonte explained he was able to live near the sea in China, although he was living in a hotel and struggled to adapt to food in the country, eventually taking his own chef to the country.