Chelsea's negotiations for Sporting Lisbon’s Manuel Ugarte are moving rapidly.
What’s the latest on Manuel Ugarte to Chelsea?
According to Dean Jones, who was speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the Blues are keen to get the deal completed for the 22-year-old as soon as possible, with talks having motored on in recent days.
Reputable journalist Dean Jones said: “It's certainly accelerated faster than I anticipated, to be honest. We'll now have to see how quickly it can continue to move forward and what the momentum is.
"We know Chelsea are interested, but the rate at which this has been moving forward makes me think that they're keen to get it done very quickly."
The Guardian has reported that the Uruguayan has a release clause of £52m and Chelsea have allegedly agreed personal terms with the player, who has a desire to compete in English football.
How could Manuel Ugarte benefit Chelsea?
The eight-cap international has been in magnificent form for Sporting CP this season, as he has averaged the most tackles (3.9) and interceptions (1.8) per game, to ruthlessly underline his status as a formidable defensive-minded midfielder.
As well as his tenacity, the pivot also possesses a brilliant athletic ability to glide around the pitch, showcased by his 1.8 dribbles per game.
Despite his spritely age, the South American has emerged as an impeccably well-rounded orchestrator, who is excellent at protecting the backline.
The beauty of possessing a selfless destroyer like this is that his qualities unlock the potential of more attack-minded players.
From a Chelsea perspective, this could be crucial to unleashing the maximum influence of Ben Chilwell and Reece James, who when fit and firing, are arguably the club’s most dangerous assets, providing 65 assists between them throughout their club careers.
Unfortunately for Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Frank Lampard, none of them have been afforded the luxury of being able to consistently start these two full-backs in the team together.
Both their seasons have been ravaged by injury, as the pair have started just 29 (15 and 14) Premier League games together. This problem has been one of the primary reasons why Chelsea have only netted 38 domestic goals.
Tuchel has previously lauded the irrepressible quality of his full-backs and their contribution to the attack.
He said: “We can have a bit of freedom with our offensive movements. The wing-backs can adapt to half positions to support our attackers. It's a matter of repetition and understanding. At the moment, they do very well no matter who plays.”
For the incoming Mauricio Pochettino, recapturing the best form of these defenders will be crucial if he is to succeed in west London and the signing of Ugarte, who has been hailed as a "monster" by writer Dave Hendrick, could be the perfect defensive step in doing this.
