Fonte is now with Casa Pisa in Portugal.
He told JeffBet: "I don’t know if Southampton have enough quality to stay in the Premier League - but I love Russell Martin
"I’m glad to see Southampton get the first win out of the way, hopefully, they can take confidence in that going forward then it was a tough game against Wolves.
"One thing I love about Russell Martin is that he has a clear philosophy. He has his way of playing and this is important. Everyone knows exactly how he wants you to play.
"My concern is that I just don't know if they have the quality and the goals to stay in the Premier League when it comes to scoring goals and being able to hurt defences.
"It’s never easy in the Premier League but we know they can play good football, it’s just about finding that consistency. I like Russell a lot and hope they can find a way."