Tottenham want Manuel Ugarte and the Portuguese press have hailed him for being a rare shining light in Sporting’s defeat to Marseille last night.
Sporting impressed with a 2-0 win over Tottenham earlier in the group stage but their games against Marseille have been a disaster.
Sporting lost 4-1 in France last week and were hoping for better back in Lisbon on Wednesday night.
However, this was another tough night for Ruben Amorim as Marseille grabbed a 2-0 win with Sporting ending the game with just nine men after two red cards.
Tottenham want Manuel Ugarte
Sporting can still make it through the group; they sit level on points with second-placed Marseille and just one point behind leaders Tottenham.
Yet make no mistake, this was a chastening night for Sporting and there were few positives to take from the defeat.
O Jogo did at least find a man of the match for Sporting, and it was Tottenham target Ugarte.
Portuguese newspaper Record reported earlier this week that Tottenham have enquired about a potential deal for Sporting midfielder Ugarte.
The Uruguayan – who plays alongside Rodrigo Bentancur on the international stage – impressed against Tottenham in the Champions League last month.
Sporting want to give him a new deal with a bumper €80million (£70million) release clause, realising Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain want him.
This was a dreadful night for Sporting, one what O Jogo called a ‘collective and individual disaster’.
O Jogo did though praise Ugarte, suggesting that he was ‘tireless’ in the heart of midfield and did everything he possibly could to keep fighting against Marseille’s dominance.
That’s the kind of attitude that has become synonymous with Uruguayan players but also with players Antonio Conte likes.
If the 21-year-old can continue to shine for Sporting – even in terrible defeats – then maybe Tottenham really will make their move in January.
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