Tottenham want Manuel Ugarte but their plans to scout him at the World Cup have hit the buffers after he failed to appear for Uruguay.
Uruguay crashed out of the World Cup on Friday evening as they could only beat Ghana 2-0.
South Korea’s shock win over Portugal sent them through and whilst Uruguay needed just one goal to go through, they couldn’t find it.
The opening draw with South Korea followed by defeat to Portugal just left Uruguay with too much to do and they’re now heading home.
Tottenham want Manuel Ugarte
Uruguay were one of the dark horses for many but they are leaving Qatar very disappointed.
Tottenham Hotspur may even feel a little underwhelmed themselves.
Sure, they will hate seeing their midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur suffered heartbreak on the big stage.
Yet it’s Fabio Paratici and his transfer plans that may cause some annoyance at Tottenham.
A Bola reported last week that Tottenham had sent scouts to the World Cup In Qatar as they looked to assess Ugarte.
There is one big problem for Tottenham in that regard – Ugarte didn’t play a single minute at the World Cup.
The Sporting Club de Portugal midfielder sat on the bench for all three group games against South Korea, Portugal and Ghana.
Not even once did manager Diego Alonso bring Ugarte on, even when Bentancur picked up an injury against Ghana.
Sure, Uruguay have some real competition in midfield but for Ugarte – who has been in fine form for Sporting – to note even play a minute in Qatar seems bizarre.
Tottenham will still know plenty about Ugarte – they saw him play against Antonio Conte’s Spurs side twice in the Champions League group stage.
The 21-year-old midfielder has huge potential but his snub in Qatar may leave him believing that he needs to take the next step in his domestic career in order to shine for Uruguay.
That would play into Tottenham’s hands, potentially giving them a window of opportunity to lure Ugarte to North London.
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