Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign an extremely in-demand player this summer, as the Blues look to strengthen under Mauricio Pochettino.
The former Tottenham Hotspur manager will officially take charge at Stamford Bridge on July 1st, as the club hope to turn their fortunes around after an abysmal Premier League season.
Pochettino must improve the painful year the Blues have endured, making improvements all over the pitch, something he is reportedly on course to do.
What’s the latest on Manuel Ugarte to Chelsea?
As reported by FootballInsider earlier this week, Chelsea are set to ‘finalise’ a deal for Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
The report states that the 22-year-old is ‘keen’ on the move, and is ‘excited’ by the project that Pochettino could bring to the club.
The youngster has a £52m release clause in place in Portugal, with the Blues set to agree on a deal for the ace who has been a topic of interest for an array of clubs.
How could Pochettino use Manuel Ugarte at Chelsea?
Pochettino has lots to improve ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, however, the experienced manager can enforce a host of stability at the club by making crucial signings this window.
As well as Ugarte, the west Londoners have been strongly linked to Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, who could be the missing piece to the puzzle in Chelsea’s midfield as the Argentinian aims to fire the Blues back where they belong.
When looking at squads that have graced Stamford Bridge over the years, not many stand as dominant as Jose Mourinho’s back-to-back Premier League-winning sides of 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons.
The midfield trio of Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien at the time was pivotal to the club’s success, with the perfect balance of strength and finesse in the engine room.
Once hailed as being “Europe’s best midfield” at the time by The Guardian’s Jon Brodkin, the dominance of the trio could be replicated by Pochettino in the prospect of signing both Ugarte and Caicedo and placing them alongside Enzo Fernandez.
The three players, similar to the legendary Chelsea trio, all maintain stellar passing rates, with Enzo ranking in the top 2% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for number of attempted passes per 90 with a monstrous 79.77, via FBref.
The Brighton machine is a superb reader of the game, as shown through his average of 1.61 interceptions per 90, as well as winning an average of 58% of his total duels with 5.9 per game, all while maintaining a pass completion rate of 88.5%.
As for Ugarte, the 22-year-old “monster” – as described by journalist Dave Hendrick – could be the Makelele of the three in sitting deep, making a gargantuan 4.63 tackles per 90 while maintaining a pass completion rate of 91.6, also per FBref.
It’s clear to see why the youngster is in demand this summer, and Pochettino could right a lot of wrongs in building a midfield around the rising star, potentially providing the Bridge with shades of Mourinho’s magnificent trio.
