Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba, who is admired by Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United, didn’t shower himself in glory during his side’s 2-0 loss to Everton on Sunday afternoon – and the Old Trafford faithful are all in agreement after his first-half minute at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
After a tumultuous 2024/25 Premier League campaign where they finished 15th, the Red Devils were keen to add new faces as a means of strengthening their squad – and they have done so by adding Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
However, United supporters are still not too happy with the fact that a midfielder hasn’t been added to the squad after being ever-so porous in the middle of the park last season. Baleba, 21, was touted as being the player to make the difference.
Inside Baleba’s 45-Minute Display vs Everton
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After sorting out their goalscoring issues, Amorim’s attention turned to midfield – and, as reported by numerous outlets, Baleba’s name is one that came up in plenty of conversations behind the scenes. Reportedly, the midfielder is keen on the move, but it’ll take north of £100 million to secure his services.
The four-cap Cameroon international’s employers have, however, insisted that he is strictly not for sale this summer given how important he is to the Fabian Hurzeler’s Seagulls, a team he has played 79 times for since arriving from French side Lille back in 2023.
In their 2-0 loss to Everton, Hurzeler, for one reason or another, decided to take the 21-year-old – who Amorim is reportedly ‘in love’ with – off at half-time in favour of Jack Hinshelwood. During his time on the pitch, he enjoyed just 21 touches of the ball, and he (uncharacteristically) won just four of his nine duels.
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His performance begs the question whether Lisbon-born Amorim’s money could be spent better elsewhere. United have, up to this point, bucked the trend by not spending in excess of £100 million on a player – and it may be worth exploring elsewhere.
According to reports, Amorim and Co are accelerating a deal for Sevilla and France’s Lucien Agoume – who would be a much cheaper alternative to Baleba. He, of course, would take time to adapt to the Premier League; but the money saved could be spent on reinforcing the squad in other positions.
Man Utd Fans In Agreement About Baleba after Midfielder’s Display v Everton
Carlos Baleba during a Brighton & Hove Albion pre-match warm-up
Supporters of an Old Trafford persuasion believe that his subpar performance against Everton is because his mind is already elsewhere: set on a move to United. One wrote: “Carlos Baleba has been hooked at HT. His head is already in Manchester.”
Another took to X (formerly Twitter) to suggest that Baleba – widely regarded as one of the best young players in the Premier League – has been out of sorts ever since the club’s interest in the all-action midfielder was revealed in early August.
“Baleba hasn’t been the same since Manchester United showed interest in him. He clearly doesn’t want to play there anymore.”
“Baleba doesn’t want to be there, he was half the player he usually is, his mind is elsewhere,” another said as a fourth – and final – fan implored Amorim and his entourage to test Brighton’s resolve by writing: “Baleba’s head is in Manchester. Send the bid.”