Manchester United have spent more than £150million on a brand new midfield, but at least one big question remains. Carlos Baleba became their third midfield addition of the window on Tuesday, following Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.
Cameroon midfielder Baleba has joined in a deal worth up to £70million. It's a significant climb-down from former club Brighton, who wanted north of £100m when United were among the interested parties in the summer of 2025.
Why the fee dropped
Those demands were based on a number of factors, including Baleba's form for the Seagulls and the sum the club received when Moises Caicedo left for Chelsea. However, an underwhelming 2025/26 season still makes it something of a gamble and helps explain the reduced fee.
From United's perspective, though, it's easy to see why they consider it a gamble worth taking. Baleba, at his best, can provide balance in the midfield and allow them to set up in a number of systems.
Stats and comparisons
In recent years, United have arguably suffered from a lack of midfield solidity. Plenty of players were brought in as they tried to install a tough tackler at the base of the midfield, but the likes of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte came with issues of their own, and the former ended up providing a threat further forward in his final season.
Baleba completed 79 tackles in his standout 2024/25 season at the Amex Stadium, according to official Premier League stats - joint 25th in the league and a shade behind Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes - but that doesn't tell the entire story. He also ranked 14th in the league for interceptions per 90 minutes, per Fotmob, with Harry Maguire the only United player to better his 1.6 average. He matched that number last season, albeit with 29 total interceptions compared to 46 in the season prior.
Praise and concerns
Rio Ferdinand is also a fan. "He brings that ability to get around the pitch, that physical prowess," the Champions League winning centre-back said on YouTube. "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."
The caveat to Baleba's underwhelming 2025/26 season will still be raised by critics. However, there are reasons for his struggles, which might not be as much of a factor this time around. Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler suggested the interest from United might have distracted the midfielder early in the campaign. Baleba also saw his season interrupted by the Africa Cup of Nations last term, something which won't be a factor this time around.
"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."
"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."
Fitness and expectations
It is also worth recognising that Baleba is arriving injured and, therefore, fans will potentially need to be a little patient to begin with. However, given the identities of the other midfielders in United's ranks, the minutes he has racked up in recent seasons could prove beneficial.
None of Tielemans, Mainoo or Santos picked up too many minutes last season for a variety of reasons. Tielemans played 1,863 minutes for Aston Villa due to two separate injury lay-offs, Mainoo racked up 1,654 after being used sparingly before Carrick's appointment, and Santos played 1,255 for Chelsea - though he played more minutes than Mainoo across all competitions.
This could be read in one of two ways. Some might see the benefits of a relatively fresh midfielder, while others may have reservations about the ability of the trio to perform week in, week out, especially given the added pressures of adapting to new partners in the middle of the park.
Baleba showed his durability with 2,673 minutes in the league in 2024/25 and still managed 1,662 last term despite heading to AFCON in December. The role expected of him at Old Trafford is likely to demand durability and, if he can deliver on that front, it ought to allow Carrick to keep his players fresh.
"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 after completing the move. He has the goods to make that step up, but the challenge now is showing that last season was the exception rather than the rule.
