Brighton star Carlos Baleba has spoken out after struggling during the early stages of the season.
The midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United over the summer, with talks taking place via intermediaries over a potential switch. However, Baleba’s valuation, believed to be in the region of £100million, prevented negotiations from advancing.
Nevertheless, the reports surrounding the Cameroon international led to the 22-year-old disappointing in the opening stages of the season, with Fabian Hurzeler publicly calling on his No. 17 to battle through the rough patch.
A brief spell away at the Africa Cup of Nations came at the right time for Baleba, and he has returned to the Amex Stadium in good form and with a spring in his step.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the ex-Lille star conceded that the speculation hindered his displays, saying: “I feel more relaxed now. The noise about me outside, I didn’t understand. I didn’t look on the websites. I’m more focused on me, myself and for my teammates.
“All my qualities, I need to improve on that. The most of the qualities I have is I need to enjoy more football, because when I play, I’m so serious that I want to do the right thing or to do the proper thing on the pitch.”
Pressed on how Hurzeler and his teammates helped him navigate his drop-off in form, he explained: “All of them told me to be free, to be relaxed and just enjoy and think about football.”
Brighton have struggled for extended spells throughout the campaign so far, and during those spells, they have been able to rely on their experienced stars to lead the club through those dips.
Danny Welbeck, Lewis Dunk and, since his return, Pascal Gross form part of that seasoned cluster of players, as well as James Milner, who Baleba holds in high regard.
Speaking about his relationship with the former Manchester City and Liverpool star, he said: “For me personally, I like the person, and I like the player because he helped me a lot and he taught me about football. Every game before the start, he said to me to enjoy. He’s always behind me, and he’s a really good person.”
Milner will be hoping to break the Premier League’s appearance record this weekend when the Seagulls take on Brentford.