Southampton: 2010 Crystal Palace deal could hardly have gone better: View | OneFootball

Southampton are currently battling for promotion to the Premier League.

Under the management of Russell Martin, the Saints have enjoyed a strong Championship campaign, despite a shaky start.

Before this season, Southampton spent over a decade in the top flight, but they lost many key players over that spell and ultimately suffered relegation at the end of last season.

The last time Southampton were in this position was the 2011-12 campaign when they finished as runners-up of the Championship and earned promotion to the Premier League.

The Saints had some big-name players in that promotion-winning squad, with the likes of Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain helping them reach the promised land once more.

Another player who was incredibly influential though and had a successful spell at St Mary's was Jose Fonte.

The former Portugal international was an integral part of that promotion-winning squad, and he went on to be just as vital in the top flight for them too.

Jose Fonte proved to be a bargain deal for Southampton in the long run

Prior to joining Southampton, Fonte moved from Portugal to England in order to play for Crystal Palace in the Championship.

He played fairly regular football for the Eagles, and in January 2010, Southampton secured a deal for the defender worth £1.2 million.

It was an ambitious move for Southampton, who at the time, were hunting down promotion from League One, meaning that Fonte was surprisingly dropping down a level in order to make the switch.

£1.2 million on the face of it seemed a rather steep price for a League One club, but it turned out to be a stroke of genius for the Saints.

Alan Pardew was the Southampton boss at the time and despite the club's 10-point deduction - he was guiding the club further up the League One table, with the signing of Fonte created further hope among the Saints faithful that they had the tools to get promoted at some point.

In Fonte's first half-season with the Saints, the club finished seventh in League One, but they won the EFL Trophy at Wembley Stadium with the defender playing the full 90 minutes - following the Portuguese man's arrival, just three league matches were lost, just showing the impact he had on the back0line.

The following 2010-11 campaign was an even bigger success as Southampton finished second in League One, earning automatic promotion to the Championship.

Fonte was the star of the show that season, earning Southampton's Player of the Year award, as well as being included in the League One Team of the Season.

Southampton decided that one promotion was not enough, as they achieved back-to-back successes to make a dramatic return to the Premier League for the start of the 2012-13 season.

Fonte played a huge part in the Championship promotion-winning campaign, playing 42 times and even wearing the captain's armband on occasion when Dean Hammond was not used.

Spending four-and-a-half seasons in the top flight with the Saints, Fonte departed midway through the 2016-17 campaign for West Ham United, who spent £8 million to secure what was then a 34-year-old centre-back - and Fonte has since revealed that he was essentially forced out of St Mary's by the powers-that-be.

Overall, Fonte made 154 Premier League appearances for Southampton, and even helped the club reach UEFA Europa League football on two occasions - he was an influential figure in the Saints' defence and was a major part of some of the club's greatest moments in recent history.

As mentioned, £1.2 million for a defender in League One seems ludicrous, but fast-forward a decade, and it now appears incredibly justifiable, considering his impact at the club.

His spell with Southampton makes that £1.2 million fee seem like a bargain in truth, and to make matters even better for the Saints, they made monetary profit on the Portuguese defender.

In January 2017, it was West Ham United who secured a deal for the player, paying Southampton £8 million.

Fonte failed to have much of an impact at West Ham, but from a Southampton perspective, it was a superb deal, as they made roughly £7 million on the defender.

It's not even a surprise to see that Fonte is still playing at the age of 40, and he's featuring at a competitive level as well with Braga of Portugal's top flight, as well as competing in the Champions League as well for them.

There was speculation rife in the past summer that Fonte may return for a final stint with Southampton, but a move never arose - you have to wonder though if Fonte would have been at home or not in Russell Martin's side.

Nevertheless, Fonte left Southampton seven years ago with his head held high despite the fact he perhaps didn't fully want to go, and Saints fans will always remember him for his commitment to the cause.