Amongst all the negative news surrounding Spurs lately, the club may have actually been handed a much needed boost in the transfer market. That is according to Record (via HITC) who have stated that Tottenham transfer Manuel Ugarte has seen his contract talks with Sporting Lisbon collapse.
This will come as pleasant news to the Spurs hierarchy as the club reportedly sent scouts out to Qatar (Via Record), to watch Ugarte ply his trade for Uruguay alongside Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.
Tottenham’s links first surfaced back in November with my VitalSpurs colleague Omar highlighting the potential move here.
Since arriving on European shores, Ugarte has caught the eye of a number of top clubs – so much so that Sporting have slapped a £53 million price tag on the midfielder (HITC).
So, would a move for Ugarte be worthwhile for Spurs?
Stats taken from FB Ref, show the he could potentially make a big impact in North London. The Uruguayan is a defensive powerhouse ranking in the top 1% of midfielders in this seasons Champions League, for tackles and interceptions (8.09) per game.
Ugarte also has some other impressive aspects to his game, with his ball carrying ability catching the eye of many fans. With the Lisbon man ranking in the top 2% of midfielders (in this season’s Champions League) for dribbles completed per game (1.93).
The 21-year-old is clearly a quality player with a bright future but in terms of Tottenham’s current squad, you could argue that the club is already stacked for central midfielders, with other areas such as wing-back and centre-back needing more attention.