Manchester United’s midfield rebuild continues under Michael Carrick. After already adding Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans during the summer transfer window, the Red Devils have shown that they aren’t done by securing the signature of Brighton’s Carlos Baleba. The 22-year-old midfielder has excelled with the southern side, helping the club qualify for the UEFA Conference League, and now he’ll be expected to bring a similar steady presence to the United midfield as they pursue their own Champions League dreams.The Cameroon international will join United after showing that he’s Premier League-ready with Brighton, where he was not only strong coming into tackles and winning the ball, but he also showed that he’s an excellent dribbler to turn defense into attack. When United were unable to break down Hull City in their opening-day loss of the season, that’s something that is needed in the squad, and he could bring it.Last season with Brighton, there was the issue where Baleba would get into good positions but struggle to set up his teammates to make the best out of them, but alongside Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha, he’ll have dynamic players who he can pass the ball off to as United get their attacks going. Carrick will still want better passing than what he was able to produce last season, but considering that he scored four goals and grabbed two assists in all competitions during the 2024-25 season, the true Baleba is likely somewhere in between that.
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It has been a rapid rise for the midfielder since leaving Lille in 2023 to come to the Premier League, but after two seasons at Brighton, including one where he was a starter in the Europa League, United feel that this is a good next step in his career. With a whopping fee of up to £70 million for his services, that shows the belief that the Red Devils have in his potential at the club after what has already been an expensive summer of midfield arrivals.
Here’s analysis of the transfer and how all parties involved will fare now that the deal’s complete.Manchester United On the surface, signing three new midfielders feels weird for United, but then you look at the roster. To deal with Champions League commitments, an entire refresh was needed. Heading into the season, Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte are injured, while Toby Collyer and Tyler Fletcher are academy kids who are coming into their own but not ready for big minutes. That leaves Carrick with Fernandes, Santos, Baleba, Tielemans, and Kobbie Mainoo as his only midfielders with true senior squad experience.Competing in the Champions League, a squad needs to, at a minimum, go two deep at every position, and that’s something that adding Baleba helps United do. The issue is that with such a fee spent here, it feels like one of he or Santos are going to end up on the bench for most games. Long term, that may not be an issue considering the age of both midfielders, but it’s a lot of investment in a midfield without any improvement to a defense or left wing position that desperately needs it.
Having a strong midfield is quite important to success, and if Baleba can help United boss games, no one will worry that Harry Maguire is still anchoring the center backs three games from now, but when alarm bells are ringing elsewhere, United’s transfer activity hasn’t done much to address them. Alone, this isn’t a bad move; it’s just that, when taking a holistic look at United’s summer, things get strange, bringing it to only an above-average grade. Grade: C+Brighton They didn’t need Chelsea this time to do it yet again, making a significant profit on a midfielder that was scouted and improved while in the team. Out of any team in the Premier League, Brighton are among the most prepared to sell a player like Baleba on without missing a beat. Between moving Baleba, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Carl Rushworth, Brighton have brought in over €180 million on transfers while spending to bring in Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham. With Pascal Gross as the steadying presence in the midfield and Jack Hinshelwood poised to be the next breakout player in the squad alongside Diego Gomez, Yasin Ayari, and Matthew O’Riley, there’s no shortage of midfielders in the squad for manager Fabian Hurzeler to choose from. An opening-day 4-0 victory over Aston Villa will only make them feel better about the squad moving forward for their own European escapades. Grade: A
Carlos Baleba When you have a chance to get the bag and move to Manchester United, why wouldn’t you take that opportunity as a player? Worst-case scenario, he ends up heading to another club in a few years without taking much of a hit to his own reputation. In the best-case scenario, he can be part of the recent show at the Theatre of Dreams. While United may not have played to expectations over the past few years, the draw to get back to their history is always strong, and for Baleba, it’s a no-brainer to make this move. Grade: A
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