Quite often with transfers, they do not need to be too complicated. The most obvious moves can line up as the best ones.
Look at Chelsea’s deal for Ngolo Kante in 2016. They paid Leicester City a fee of £32 million for Ngolo Kante, who had just won the Premier League with the Foxes.
Manchester United and Jose Mourinho even tried to sign him, Kante told Sky Sports – but they were too late, typical of the era under Ed Woodward. He had already spoken to Chelsea and made up his mind.
The real steal came from Leicester, who plucked a talented tackler from France’s Ligue 1, and gave him the platform to make a name for himself in the Premier League, where he surpassed all expectations.
Manuel Ugarte set to follow the Ngolo Kante path
Manchester United are pursuing a move for Paris Saint-Germain midfield destroyer Manuel Ugarte. Sky Sports report talks are advancing between the clubs.
Ugarte’s style of play is exactly what Manchester United need to redress Casemiro’s decline, a ball-winner in midfield.
Ugarte is set in the Kante mould, and ready to follow his path, as pointed out via statisticians Opta.
They note: “Manuel Ugarte made 4.6 tackles per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 last season – the last player to make that many in a Ligue 1 campaign and move to the Premier League the following season was N’Golo Kanté in 2014-15 for Caen (5 per 90) before joining Leicester.”
Ugarte deal essential
Jose Mourinho’s attempt to sign Kante is a great ‘what if’ from his time in charge at the club.
That same summer he had already signed Paul Pogba, but struggled to find the right midfield partner for the super-talented Frenchman.
The best partner Pogba had was at international level, where he was able to play alongside Kante. The pair were the fulcrum of France’s World Cup winning side in 2018, and went on a lengthy international winning streak over a number of years.
Now in 2024, Pogba has long gone, with a talented young box to box midfielder in his place, academy starlet Kobbie Mainoo, now a regular for club and country.
United are trying to find Mainoo a partner. Casemiro is only a short-term fit, and will end up the odd man out, a rotational option.
Ugarte, nine years younger than the Brazilian, has the energy and ball-winning ability required to be the perfect fit for Manchester United’s midfield, and the perfect partner for Mainoo.
The Uruguayan is a fighter, a player willing to do the dirty work, who will let Mainoo play. That’s what Paul Pogba needed alongside him.
A deal looks likely to get done before the transfer deadline, and hopefully even sooner. This is a move which United simply have to do.
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