Chelsea are being heavily linked with Manuel Ugarte, the Sporting CP midfielder who looks ready to step into a top side.
But how does he compare to Enzo Fernandez, our last monster midfield buy from Portugal?
FBRef has some very interesting results when comparing the two. The most important thing to note is their different roles – Ugarte is a much more defensively focused player, while Fernandez is more of a ball player.
Accordingly, Fernandez produces more goals and assists.
But defensively, Ugarte dominates. He has far more tackles per 90 minutes, more blocks, and a superb 2.18 interceptions per game compared to Fernandez’s 0,95. He’s also significantly better in the air, attempting more and winning more aerial challenges.
More than anything, what this is screaming out to us is… these guys would make a nice combination in the middle of the park…
