Manuel Ugarte V Romeo Lavia: Who Should Chelsea Sign? We Take A Look At The Numbers

With Chelsea stepping up plans to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Manuel Ugarte, we thought it would be a good idea to delve into the stats to see what type of player the Blues could be getting.

To make things interesting, though, we will be comparing him to another reported transfer target, Southampton’s Romeo Lavia.

It is believed the club made a bid for the Belgian international last year and they are said to have retained an interest in the player.

So who would be the better signing for Chelsea? Press the next page as we look at the numbers (using data from FBRef for league games this season).

Tackles And Interceptions

There is a clear winner in this category with Ugarte a lot stronger in terms of his defensive actions.

The Uruguayan international averaged 6.82 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes in Liga Portugal this season.

In contrast, Lavia, who also played as a defensive midfielder, managed only 3.77 tackles and interceptions per 90 in the Premier League.

Of course, you do have to take into account the teams they were playing for. Sporting finished fourth in Portugal, while the Saints finished bottom of the English top flight, but it does demonstrate Ugarte’s willingness to stick a boot in.

Progressive Carries

This metric measures the player’s ability to carry the ball up the pitch into the opposition half.

Again, Ugarte is quite far ahead of Lavia, averaging 1.23 progressive carries per 90, compared to the Southampton midfielder’s 0.89.

The ability to hold on to possession and turn defence into attack is an important part of the modern game and Ugarte shows his capabilities in this area.

Mauricio Pochettino is believed to be a big fan of the 22-year-old and it is not hard to see why.

Progressive Passes

Even though a holding midfielder is not tasked with creating chances, you would still prefer that they progress the ball forward, rather than passing backwards or sideways.

For that reason, making progressive passes (10 yards up the pitch or into the penalty area) is still an important metric to consider.

On this stat, the two are slightly more evenly matched, with Ugarte averaging 4.6 progressive passes per 90 minutes, while Lavia made 4.13 per 90 this season.

For context, though, both N’Golo Kante (5.86 per 90) and Mateo Kovacic (8.05) are much stronger in this area.

Key Passes

We are now moving into the realms of attributes that are not necessarily essential to have as a defensive midfielder. Even so, you would still prefer to have first-team players that are multi-faceted.

A key pass is the pass right before a shot. Neither Ugarte nor Lavia are particularly strong in this area.

The Sporting Lisbon midfielder averages just 0.57 per 90, while the Saints star is only slightly better at 0.65 per 90 minutes in the Premier League this campaign.

Again, for context, Kante (2.24) and Kovacic (1.21) are simply better at creating chances for teammates.

Goals And Assists

Chelsea fans should not expect either Ugarte or Lavia to score or provide an assist next season if Chelsea sign them.

The Uruguayan had ZERO goal involvements in Liga Portugal, while Lavia managed a single assist for Southampton.

While it is important to emphasise that this isn’t an important metric, you do have to keep in mind that one of them could be replacing Kovacic or Kante, who both have contributed in front of goal during their time in England.

In conclusion, though, there is only one winner between Ugarte and Lavia, with the Uruguayan very much coming out on top.