Manchester United have completed the £70m signing of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, their third midfield addition of the summer window. The Cameroon international joined in a deal that represented a significant climbdown from the £100m Brighton demanded a year ago, reflecting his performance in the 12 months since United's interest first became public.
Baleba became the third player to join this week, in addition to earlier summer moves for Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, as United moved fast to reinvigorate their midfield following the major departure of Casemiro at the end of last season. The 2025/26 campaign proved disappointing for Baleba, which accounts for the lowered fee and renders the move somewhat of a risk.
Midfield balance and statistics
From United's standpoint, Baleba, when at his peak, can provide balance in midfield and enable them to operate in various formations. In recent seasons, United have lacked midfield stability. Numerous players were recruited as they attempted to install a robust ball-winner at the base of the midfield, but the likes of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte arrived with complications of their own, and the former ultimately offered a threat further forward in his final campaign.
Baleba completed 79 tackles during his impressive 2024/25 campaign at the Amex Stadium, according to official Premier League statistics - joint 25th in the division and marginally behind Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes. He also placed 14th in the division for interceptions per 90 minutes, per Fotmob, with Harry Maguire the sole United player to surpass his 1.6 average. He equalled that figure last season, albeit with 29 total interceptions compared to 46 in the previous campaign.
The midfielder's progressive carries also distinguish him from traditional defensive midfielders. According to Opta Analyst, he was the fourth-best defensive midfielder in the category during 2024/25 and the leading player from a team that wasn't Liverpool or Manchester City.
Former players' assessments
Former United captain Wayne Rooney said on Stick to United: "We need another midfield player with a bit of physicality, and I know he's not six-foot-four or whatever. But he covers the ground really well, he's aggressive, he takes the ball, and is what we need."
He added: "He's a very good player who will improve the team massively. It will be interesting with Tielemans, Santos and [Kobbie] Mainoo but this is what it should be. Competition for places. If you don't play well, you don't play."
Rio Ferdinand is equally impressed, saying on his YouTube channel: "He brings that ability to get around the pitch, that physical prowess. I think his duels power is great, his press resistance, and I think more so than most of the others."
He added: "He can beat the press with the ball but his vertical ball progression with the ball especially... is an asset to this team now and he can do it with real pace. I think he complements every other one of those midfielders he's coming into the team with. Whoever he plays with, he complements them."
Explanations for difficulties
Critics will inevitably point to Baleba's disappointing 2025/26 campaign as cause for concern. Nevertheless, there are valid explanations for his difficulties, which may prove far less relevant on this occasion. Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler hinted that United's reported interest may have unsettled the midfielder at the start of the season. Baleba's campaign was further disrupted by his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, a distraction that will not affect him this time round.
"For sure, when a young boy reads there is interest from Manchester United with a big, big offer, it might affect him deep, deep (down)," Hurzeler said early on in the 2025/26 campaign. "That's also part of the development to understand that when you play well, there comes a big offer, there comes a big club who wants to have him."
He added: "But then to keep pushing, to be humble, stay here in Brighton, and try to make the next step with the team and that's something we have to keep on working with him and therefore I can't give you a clear answer if it's really affected him or not. But for sure, he's a young boy and we need to understand he's not a machine that if you click on then he always runs and off then he stops. We need to understand his feelings, his emotions, where he comes from, and that's our responsibility."
It is also worth noting that Baleba arrives carrying an injury and supporters may therefore need to exercise a degree of patience initially. Nevertheless, considering the calibre of the other midfielders within United's squad, the playing time he has accumulated in recent campaigns could prove advantageous.
Playing time and next steps
Neither Tielemans, Mainoo, nor Santos accumulated a great deal of minutes last season for various reasons. Tielemans featured for 1,863 minutes at Aston Villa owing to two separate spells on the sidelines, Mainoo clocked up 1,654 after being deployed sparingly prior to Carrick's arrival, while Santos managed 1,255 for Chelsea - although he surpassed Mainoo's total across all competitions.
This can be interpreted in one of two ways. Some may welcome the advantages of a relatively well-rested midfielder, while others might harbour doubts over the trio's capacity to deliver consistently week after week, particularly given the additional challenge of adapting to new midfield partners.
Baleba demonstrated his stamina with 2,673 minutes in the league in 2024/25 and still contributed 1,662 last season despite departing for AFCON in December. The demands placed upon him at Old Trafford will likely require considerable endurance and, should he deliver on that front, it should enable Carrick to keep his squad refreshed.
"I cannot wait to work with Michael Carrick; his experience and knowledge of the game make him the perfect coach to help me to reach the highest level," Baleba said upon completing the move. He has the attributes to make that step up, but the task now for Carrick is to prove that last season was the anomaly rather than the norm.
