Liverpool continued their late-season winning run last night, with a Mo Salah penalty proving too much for Fulham, who went down 1-0 at Anfield. Trent Alexander-Arnold continued to play very centrally in the game, coming close to a goal with a first-half shot from outside the box.
Debate is raging on who West Derby’s finest will be lining up alongside next season, with Sporting Club de Portugal’s Manuel Ugarte the latest player rumoured to be part of LFC’s midfield revolution. Uruguayan journalist Rodrigo Romano added some weight to the story, suggesting that the Reds may look to trigger a release clause of around €60million for his fellow countryman.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, we asked goal.com’s Neil Jones for his take on the Ugarte links.
Neil said:
“I’ve not had any encouragement on him. I look at it and see the release clause and think, ‘That’s high.’ I think you’ll see a lot of ‘Premier League readiness’ in what Liverpool do this summer.
“I don’t see Liverpool putting themselves in a position like that where they’ve spent £50-60million on a midfielder and he’s not playing at the start of the season. The mood music is definitely less encouraging than it is on other players.
“If you’re looking at a €60million release clause for a player – obviously a fine player who’s got a burgeoning reputation at Sporting – it feels high. I think we’ll probably see Liverpool look at other targets.”
[On Alexis Mac Allister vs. Ugarte]
“If it was either or – no contest. I think he’s clearly going to leave Brighton. I think there’s still competition to get him. I think he’s got other clubs that would like to sign him. There’s still a bit of work to do on that. I think he fits the bill perfectly for Liverpool, in terms of his all-round game.”
Redmen Reacts
A fairly cool reception for Ugarte from Neil. After the on-pitch lows of this season and the off-pitch failure to pursue Jude Bellingham, any midfielders that arrive in the summer must come into the first team immediately and hit the ground running. Liverpool will be losing at least three options in the middle of the park, so incomings do not have the time to adapt to the Premier League, like Fabinho, or adapt to Jürgen’s methods, like Andy Robertson. The English top-flight experience of the likes of Mason Mount or Alexis Mac Allister – who was described as an ‘amazing player’ by teammate Evan Ferguson – makes them more of a safe bet in terms of adapting quickly to life in a red shirt.
Ugarte fits the bill in terms of age and physical attributes, following the well-trodden path from South America to Portugal via one of the Portuguese ‘big three’. The 22-year-old would certainly add some steel to the Reds’ midfield, so maybe he shouldn’t be written off just yet.
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