Fonte will join Sunderland’s technical coaching team, working alongside current technical assistants, Alessandro Barcherini and Michael Proctor, as well as chief analyst Isidre Ramon Madir, set-piece coach James Brayne and first-team goalkeeping coach Neil Cutler.
The 42-year-old is embarking on a coaching career after calling time on his playing career at the end of last season. He boasts a large amount of playing experience at the highest level, having made more than 900 senior appearances during a 24-year career and won 50 senior international caps with Portugal.
“Jose joins our coaching team with a wealth of experience as a player at the top level,” said Sunderland’s director of football, Florent Ghisolfi. “He will bring that experience, along with tremendous energy, to a technical staff that is already performing outstandingly under the guidance of Regis.
“We believe those qualities, combined with his strong leadership skills, will add great value to our club as we look to push forward in the Premier League and on the European stage. We’re delighted to welcome Jose to Sunderland AFC.”
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Fonte, who will officially start working with Sunderland on July 20, is probably best known in this country for his lengthy stint at Southampton that saw him make 288 senior appearances for the Saints as they rose from League One to the Premier League.
The centre-half had already had spells at Sporting and Benfica when he joined Southampton, as well as spending two years with Crystal Palace, and he moved on to West Ham United when he left St Mary's.
He ended his playing career back in the Portuguese top-flight, first with Braga and then with Casa Pia, and was part of the Portugal squad that were crowned European champions when they triumphed at Euro 2016 in France.
He joins a Sunderland backroom group that has undergone a large amount of change in the last couple of years.
Mike Dodds, who managed the Black Cats on an interim basis prior to Le Bris' appointment, left his role as assistant boss in February 2025 to take over at Wycombe Wanderers, while assistant head coach Pedro Ribeiro also departed the following August after just ten months in his post.
Luciano Vulcano was appointed as Ribeiro's replacement, but he lasted less than six months in his role before leaving by mutual consent.