Manuel Ugarte: Why PSG are spending €60m on the Sporting CP midfielder

Ugarte was born in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, and joined local team City Park at a young age. But he soon moved on, starting up his career with CA Fenix, a renowned Montevideo team with an excellent pedigree but admittedly little success. The club's history stretches back 100 years, but has only captured a string of second-division titles during its lifetime, and was a middling Primera team when Ugarte was in the youth ranks.

Still, he was quickly identified as a top talent and moved through Fenix's academy sides quickly. So much so, in fact, that he was handed his debut at 15 years and 233 days old, becoming the youngest Uruguayan league debutant in the 21st century.

Back then, though, he wasn't the defensive midfielder that he is today. Initially, Ugarte was a striker, and made a handful of first-team appearances up front before being pushed back into a deeper role.

Ugarte continued to impress after being promoted to the first team, and steadily found minutes as a 16 and then 17-year-old, while also becoming a regular in Uruguay's age-group sides. But the moment that attracted attention on a bigger stage came from a managerial decision.

Former national team coach Juan Ramon Carrasco — then Fenix's manager — handed Ugarte the captain's armband at just 18. Ugarte rewarded his manager's faith with further improvement, scoring in Fenix's 2020 Copa Sudamericana run — a memorable feat for Fenix in the competition one tier below the Copa Libertadores.

But he would soon draw eyes from Europe. Although a few clubs were in for the midfielder, Famalicao were the first to jump, signing the teenager for a bargain €3m(£2.6/$3.2m) in December 2020. And Ugarte wouldn't have to wait long to get his first taste of top-flight football, working his way into the Famalicao XI within a month, and becoming a mainstay for a side that narrowly missed out on European qualification.

Ugarte never got the chance to push for Europe again with Famalicao, though. In August 2021, Sporting signed the Uruguayan, using him as a backup to Joao Palhinha, now at Fulham. And when Palhinha left a year later, Ugarte stepped into the line up for good.

Ugarte has developed into a defensive midfielder who could quite comfortably slip into any side at a top European level. These days, he's a crucial part of Amorim's 3-4-3 system, playing alongside, or slightly behind a more creative midfielder.

He's one of the first names on the teamsheet, and has turned in a litany of memorable performances on the European stage. Chief among them was a standout showing against then-Premier League leaders Arsenal in the last 16 of the Europa League.

Ugarte commanded the spaces usually occupied by the Gunners' more creative midfielders, limiting Arsenal's fluid attacking players and starring in a memorable penalty shootout win at the Emirates. And although Ugarte was given his marching orders for clattering Bukayo Saka, his impact on the game was clear.

Ugarte is perhaps best described as a ball-winning midfielder. He is a stats sweetheart in that sense, ranking among the best midfielders in the world in interceptions, tackles won and ball recoveries, per FBRef. And once he gets it, Ugarte is remarkably efficient, if slightly limited. In Sporting CP's system, the Uruguayan's remit is quite simple: win the ball, and move it quickly.

As a result, Ugarte is a high-volume and high-efficiency passer, circulating the ball from the base of midfield with ease. He can also hit the ball long if needs be, a promising sign for PSG should they sign him, given they have the pace of Kylian Mbappe to utilise.

But there's more to his game than that. Ugarte is a capable dribbler who likes to take a man on. And at six foot tall with long legs, he's extremely difficult to knock off the ball. His height and reading of the game also make him good in the air. He's aggressive enough to be up for those duels, too.

But that aggression is one of Ugarte's drawbacks, too. The Uruguayan is often very eager to win the ball, and as his red against Arsenal showed, he can be too impatient at times. He's an aggressive and very hard tackler, a tendency that has earned him 16 yellow cards this season in all competitions.

Ugarte is also not a particularly expressive passer. Most of his distribution comes sideways over relatively short distances. That's something that suits Sporting's system, but at a higher level, it could be a limiting factor. And although Ugarte can ping long balls, defensive midfielders these days have to be able to be a bit craftier and progressive in their passing. Ugarte isn't at that level yet.

The most obvious comparison, at least in the short-term, is perhaps Arsenal's Thomas Partey. Both are excellent tacklers who survey spaces well, and pass efficiently. Both are capable dribblers, too, and are also good in the air should they face a different style of play.

But Partey and Ugarte are different in some crucial ways. Partey is not a ball hunter in the same sense that Ugarte is. For Arsenal, the Ghanaian is more tactically astute and likes to snuff out counter-attacks and feed wingers with smart passes.

Perhaps a more lofty long-term goal, given Ugarte's skillset, is Fabinho. The Liverpool defensive midfielder, at his best, is a relentless tackler and creative passer. The Brazilian is capable of entering the final third and impacting play against low blocks, and can also track back and time tackles to perfection. At 22, Ugarte could still reach that level.

Ugarte seemed almost certain to find a new club this summer, and was linked with a host of big-name clubs by journalists in both Uruguay and Portugal. Sporting have become fine sellers of talent in recent years, and were always likely to part with the player for the right price. His agent has also fueled the fire, telling CNN Portugal: "It’s almost certain that he won’t stay, it’s sure he’ll leave."

The good news for them is that top-class defensive midfielders tend to come at a premium. Ugarte had a €60m release clause worked into his contract, but despite strong interest from Chelsea, only PSG were willing to pay that price.

Ugarte now joins a squad in transition as new PSG boss Luis Enrique begins to get to work, and will be expected to step straight into the team given the price the French champions have paid to secure his services.