Journalist Peter O’Rourke spoke to GiveMeSport claiming that Tottenham Hotspur have sent scouts to watch Sporting CP man, Manuel Ugarte.
The defender is currently with Uruguay at the World Cup. However, the 21-year-old didn’t feature for the South American side in their opener against South Korea.
Having said that, Uruguay still have two remaining games of the group-stage to go, so he could well make an appearance. They come up against Portugal and then Ghana as they look to get out of the group-stage.
O’Rourke believes that signing Ugarte in January would be unlikely, but it could be something they look at in the summer.
He stated, “I think Tottenham scouts will be actively monitoring him at the World Cup, and although it might be hard to do a deal in January, it might be something that Spurs look at in the summer.”
TIF’s view on O’Rourke’s comments…
We think Spurs are definitely doing the right thing looking for defenders to bolster their ranks. Currently they have conceded the 10th most goals of any Premier League with 21. Their tally is higher than any other side in the ‘top six’.
As for Ugarte, he certainly looks like a promising talent. He averages 3.8 tackles per game, 2.15 interceptions and 1.97 blocks (per FBref).
Furthermore, he’s a defender who is good with his feet, this campaign, he currently has a 92.8% pass completion.
In addition, the Uruguayan has experience when it comes to Champions League football. He currently has 10 appearances across two seasons with Sporting.
For Spurs’ sake, they’ll hope that Ugarte will get the chance on the World Cup stage. However, a potential move to Spurs in January could be hard to achieve, if O’Rourke’s comments are anything to go by.