Tottenham are reportedly after one of Europe’s most prolific centre-forwards, but the player has now been asked to snub interest from the Premier League.
The player in question is Manfred Ugalde, who has been nearly unplayable so far this season, with the striker almost single-handedly sustaining Spartak Moscow’s title charge.
The centre-forward has found the back of the net 15 times and provided three assists in 18 league appearances so far for the capital side.
His displays have reportedly caught the attention of a number of Premier League sides, with reports emerging last month that Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa are all hot on his heels.
A deal for the Costa Rica international would not be hard for these clubs to pull off as he reportedly has a £25m release clause in his contract.
However, former Russia Under-21 coach, Igor Kolyanov, has now expressed doubts over whether the striker is ready to join an elite side. Presumably, Tottenham would be included in that definition these days.
When asked about the speculation over Ugalde‘s future, Kolyanov told Championat: “For me, Ugalde has not yet grown up to [the level of] Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea. He should finish the season at Spartak, and then we will see.
“In the long run, he may suit these clubs. But, now, he simply cannot handle it. If he suddenly moves there, he simply will not play. England is a very difficult championship.”
Former Lokomotiv Moscow president Nikolay Naumov agrees, opining that the Spartak man would be better off going to Spain or Italy than England.
He told the same publication: “Ugalde is a strong and skilled player, but I don’t think the English league suits him. He is not a very strong striker physically. The Spanish and Italian championships would suit Ugalde better.”
While there is no doubt that the Premier League is a lot more physical than many of the other divisions in the division, we have seen diminutive strikers have plenty of success in the England top-flight before.
Spurs legend Jermain Defoe is a good example, as is former Man City superstar Sergio Aguero, who, incidentally, Ugalde has been likened to.
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