The game-changing £52m signing who could transform Chelsea into an elite force again next season

One big transfer could boost Chelsea’s chances of returning to their former glory under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
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It’s time for Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to have a second crack at successfully spending an enormous amount of money – and having failed fairly spectacularly the first time around, he could do with getting off to a good start ahead of the 2023/24 season. With new manager Mauricio Pochettino now at the wheel, it’s set to be a summer of mass change at Stamford Bridge. The good news is that the Blues might just be about to kick their summer off with a seriously good signing – Manuel Ugarte.

Numerous outlets are reporting that Chelsea are in advanced discussions with both the player and his club, Sporting Lisbon, over a transfer that will likely reach his £52m release clause once add-ons are factored in. It’s a lot of money – hardly a new concept for the west London big spenders – but this time it could easily be worth every last penny, because Ugarte is one hell of a player, and could change the way Chelsea play completely.

Ugarte goes toe to toe with his potential future team-mate Enzo Fernández in January.Ugarte goes toe to toe with his potential future team-mate Enzo Fernández in January.
Ugarte goes toe to toe with his potential future team-mate Enzo Fernández in January.

A massive emerging talent

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The 22-year-old Uruguayan is a holding midfielder who rarely moves out of the centre of the park – a midfield destroyer who can take opposing attacks to pieces with his pinpoint tackling and high-energy pressing. Averaging the better part of five tackles per game – the best rate in Portugal and up there with the very best in Europe – and with great numbers for blocked and intercepted passes, he turns the ball over more than almost any equivalent player.

And he shows great judgement too – willing to press high up the field but knowing when to stay deep and block the pass and when to step up and stub the play out at the start, and conforms to the Uruguayan stereotype of blood and thunder football. He’s also an extremely efficient passer – albeit one who rarely tries killer balls – and spreads the play well with a fantastic pass completion rate of 91.6%.

On top of all that, he’s a very strong dribbler with a good turn of pace and solid ball control – his success rate in his first season with Sporting was an extraordinary 81.8%, although that has dropped this campaign as he’s been encouraged to chance his arm more often and take a few more risks.

He isn’t a threat in the final third in his own right - he’s only scored two senior goals since moving to Portugal three years ago with Familicão and has zero goal contributions for the 2022/23 season - but does have the ability to set attacks off for his team-mates and has the positional discipline to stick to the task at hand without trying anything fancy. His heat maps are usually a bright red patch explosion over the centre of the park, and clear green enveloping it right the way around the edges.

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In other words, he’s a first-class defensive midfielder with enough about him to take the ball forward and progress play as well. He still has work to do on his final pass and his judgement of when to try and take the ball forward on the run, but he has no clear weaknesses in his game, and at 22 may still develop even further.

Slotting in at Stamford Bridge

So why would he be such a great fit for Chelsea in particular? Since the expensive acquisition of Enzo Fernández, the Stamford Bridge side have struggled to find the right balance at the base of midfield, with the Argentinian, N’Golo Kanté, Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mateo Kovačić all the kind of players who like to play ahead of a more traditional number six if they play in a midfield two.

Manuel Ugarte blasts past Juventus’ Fabio Miretti during the Europa League quarter-finals.Manuel Ugarte blasts past Juventus’ Fabio Miretti during the Europa League quarter-finals.
Manuel Ugarte blasts past Juventus’ Fabio Miretti during the Europa League quarter-finals.

Fernández has played the more defensive role more often, and generally played it quite well, but his qualities in the final third and in progressive plays are stymied by the necessity of shielding the defence – a player like Ugarte, a natural number six, can not only do his job well but will also ‘unlock’ Fernández and give him the freedom to push forward when needed. It’s unclear which of Chelsea’s other central midfielders will stay in west London given the likely clear-out over the coming months, but all of them would benefit from having a reliable holding player behind them to give them the opportunity to play their natural game – whether that’s Gallagher’s box-to-box runs or Kanté’s lung-busting cross-field sprints to plug holes.

Incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino has allegedly given his personal seal of approval to the signing – and the Argentinian manager typically plays with a double pivot in midfield, which should suit a Chelsea side with Ugarte down to the ground. His signing shouldn’t restrict the options Chelsea would have too much, however – at Sporting he typically plays in a 3-4-3 formation, and while he has limited experience at the base of a staggered midfield three, he has the natural attributes to excel in that role as well.

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Ugarte isn’t a flashy player – he can pass but he isn’t a Pirlo, he’s a quick dribbler but doesn’t burst into the opposing box, and goals and assists are other players’ business. In fact, he only touches the ball in the opposition’s penalty area once every five games on average. In short, he isn’t a player who stands out in the highlights reels.

But he is the glue that can hold a team together – an efficient passer, a brilliant tackler, a player who can break down attacks time and again and turn them into the seeds of chances for his own team. Chelsea’s midfield has been desperate for the kind of structure that Ugarte could provide – and if they can complete this signing, it could be the perfect first brick in the massive rebuild that they require.