Chelsea receive £52.3m transfer decision vindication amid Todd Boehly double deal
In the summer, Chelsea won the majority of their transfer battles with over £400million spent on bolstering Mauricio Pochettino's side. However, one player that got away was Paris Saint-Germain star Manuel Ugarte.
The midfielder had attracted interest from both teams in the summer after impressing with Sporting CP. Ugarte was identified as an early transfer target at Stamford Bridge as Todd Boehly prepared to splash the cash again.
Both Chelsea and PSG matched the Uruguayan's £51million release clause, but personal terms is where the deal turned on its head for Pochettino's side. It became common knowledge that the French giants were offering a more lucrative salary, despite Ugarte's preferred destination being the Premier League.
The west Londoners eventually pulled out of the race and later signed Moises Caicedo — for a new British record worth £115million — and Romeo Lavia to bolster Pochettino's midfield.
Fast forward three months and it's fair to say that Chelsea are better off. Despite sitting mid-table in the Premier League table, a strong partnership has been formed between Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
At PSG, Ugarte has simply struggled to adapt to life in France. The 22-year-old has played 12 times for Luis Enrique's outfit, including Tuesday night's 2-1 Champions League defeat to AC Milan.
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However, the visit to the San Siro was not a good one. According to WhoScored.com, the midfielder has now been dribbled past more — eight times exactly — than he has made tackles in the Champions League this season.
With Caicedo and Lavia
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