Manchester United’s long-standing midfield issue could be closer to a solution.
Having already brought in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos this summer to re-shape their central unit, United are finalising a deal for Brighton & Hove Albion enforcer Carlos Baleba for a fee of £60 million-£65 million plus £5 million in add-ons according to The Athletic.
Twelve months after walking away from Brighton’s steep £100 million price tag, United are seizing an opportunity to acquire one of the Premier League’s most athletic central midfielders for a significantly more manageable fee.
For Michael Carrick’s evolving side, Baleba could be the tactical piece needed to help elevate a top-four side towards genuine title contention. Striver.Football breaks down how:
Carlos Baleba's 2025-26 Season in Context
Baleba’s recent campaign was admittedly uneven. He completed 90 minutes in the Premier League just once prior to the Africa Cup of Nations in December, with Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler noting early in the season that United’s persistent transfer interest had subtly impacted the 22-year-old’s focus.
However, judging his ceiling purely on last season ignores crucial context. According to Cameroon head coach David Pagou, Baleba was managing significant "family problems" before joining up with the national team for AFCON 2025, stressing that a period of mental recovery was necessary.
At AFCON, Baleba produced several dominant midfield performances, helping Cameroon reach the quarter-finals before returning to Brighton with renewed sharpness.
The dip in form enabled United to strike a deal at £65m rather than last year's triple-figure price tag, which could represent strong long-term value for a Premier League-proven player who only turned 22 in January.
What Makes Carlos Baleba So Effective Off the Ball
To understand why United maintained their long-term pursuit, one must look back to his explosive 2024-25 campaign.
Baleba was Brighton’s primary midfield destroyer and ball progressor, pairing raw physical power with agile directional changes.
Growing up in Cameroon, Baleba was put through rigorous conditioning drills by his father, a former professional footballer who later coached him at the Brasseries du Cameroun academy as reported by Opta.
Long running sessions lasting several hours, heavy strength work, and agility exercises using truck tyres at home helped build the physical foundations required to withstand elite-level demands.
In 2024-25, Baleba progressed the ball an average of 5.2 metres per carry (bettered by only six nominal DMs with 900+ minutes).
His 6.7 progressive carries per 90 minutes ranked fourth overall behind only elite Manchester City and Liverpool transition players, while his 2.9 carries per 90 of 10+ metres underscored his habit of breaking midfield lines via raw physical carries rather than risky passing.
What Carlos Baleba Offers Manchester United in Possession
Baleba is not an incisive, high-volume line-breaking passer. In 2024-25, only 11.8% of his passes were line-breakers (under the 12.4% positional average), dropping to 8.7% in 2025-26.
Similarly, just 20.5% of his total passes were directed forward last term, placing him at the lower end of positional rankings.
However, while his forward pass volume is low, his execution on long-range switches remains reliable (56.5% completion rate on high-difficulty diagonals).
With Tielemans, Santos, Mainoo, and Bruno Fernandes already handling primary distribution duties, United may not need Baleba to act as their primary deep-lying distributor.
His primary in-possession value comes from drawing two or three opposition pressers via his driving runs, automatically opening up acres of central space for United's creative receivers.
How Carlos Baleba Could Fit Into Michael Carrick's Tactics
During pre-season preparations for the 2026-27 campaign, Carrick shifted United’s out-of-possession setup from a standard 4-2-2-2 into a much higher, aggressive 4-2-4 pressing block.
This high line exposes huge spaces behind the initial press, making central mobility non-negotiable. Casemiro’s diminished mobility (top speed of 30.5 km/h, ranking 92nd out of 109 central midfielders) often left United's defense completely unprotected in transition.
Manuel Ugarte’s limited technical scope and current long-term injury leave United desperately needing recovery pace.
Baleba’s pace (10th fastest among DMs/CMs) could help address this defensive vulnerability.
Baleba is capable of anticipating second balls just outside the opposition penalty area to sustain possession, as demonstrated in Brighton's final-day clash against United when he repeatedly shut down clearances from Kobbie Mainoo.
He combines low-gravity balance with shoulder contact and clean sliding tackles, allowing him to stop counter-attacks without conceding dangerous set-pieces.
Furthermore, he uses rapid acceleration to fill backline channels when full-backs are caught high upfield, cutting off dangerous low crosses or pull-backs.
Carlos Baleba's Potential Midfield Partnerships at Manchester United
Baleba is expected to occupy the left-sided defensive/central role in Carrick’s base 4-2-3-1 shape being a left-footed player.
Given he is set to have three new midfield partners, this is how he might play depending on the combination Carrick selects:
Baleba and Tielemans
In this role, he could mimic Tielemans' successful former partnerships alongside Wilfred Ndidi at Leicester, or Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana at Aston Villa.
Being a high-volume passer who dictates tempo of games, Tielemans will control the pace of games, while Baleba provides the physical screen and dynamic recovery coverage to handle central defensive duties.
Baleba and Mainoo
If Carrick chooses to play Baleba alongside Kobbie Maino, it would represent a balanced double-pivot featuring exceptional technical press-resistance.
Baleba would act as the hard-running physical enforcer, freeing Mainoo to drift into pockets, break lines, and orchestrate forward attacks.
Baleba and Santos
This potential combination would be the most fluid, physical one available to Carrick.
In this set up, former Chelsea midfielder Santos could anchor as the deepest defensive pivot allowing Baleba to operate in a true box-to-box capacity, using his progressive ball-carrying capability further up the pitch to break down stubborn low blocks.
Final Verdict: What Carlos Baleba Could Change for Manchester United
An early-season ankle ligament injury means Baleba will require patience as he builds up match sharpness.
However, once fully integrated into Carrick's tactical system, the 22-year-old Cameroonian brings a blend of physical power, transition recovery speed and ball-carrying ability that Manchester United have often lacked in midfield in recent years.
