Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba accepted that constant links to Manchester United have created “a lot of pressure” which has coincided with his underwhelming performances this season.
The 21-year-old Cameroon international was hotly tipped to make a move to Old Trafford last summer. Contact was reportedly made only for Brighton to set a price tag in excess of £100 million ($133.5 million) for a player they have tied to a contract which extends until 2028. United were forced to back down.
The impact of this very public transfer saga was profound. After establishing himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe last term, Baleba has repeatedly tested Fabian Hürzeler’s faith this season. The German boss has been inclined to leave his increasingly errant operator on the pitch for the full 90 minutes in just one of Brighton’s 16 top-flight fixtures this term.
Baleba was initially keen to deny suggestions that his poor form can be explained by having a turned head. “I don’t think it affected me,” he told Sky Sports News after enduring more highs and lows in Saturday’s 2–0 defeat to Liverpool.
However, the young midfielder was prepared to accept that those links created a different level of expectation. “I had a lot of pressure on me,” he conceded.
“When I started the season, I wanted to [have] the same performances as last season. Every day I try to work hard and to get [back] to my level.
“Did I put too much pressure on myself? Yes, I think so, but I think that’s good. It’s good for me because now I need to pass this time of pressure and I need to get up and continue to work.”
Man Utd’s Midfield Targets Not Limited to Baleba
United ultimately opted to diverted the resources they had available last summer towards a new frontline, spending around £200 million on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško. Yet, the need for a new central midfielder still very much exists. Whether Baleba remains top of that wishlist is another matter entirely.
If the trajectory of Brighton’s No. 17 has tilted downwards, Elliot Anderson has enjoyed a dizzying upward curve. Established as arguably the first name on Thomas Tuchel’s teamsheet for England, the versatile creator has proven to be adept at operating in a range of roles, demonstrating the tactical fluency which is key for a midfielder in Ruben Amorim’s demanding system.
Any midfield recruit would likely be tasked with taking the load away from the more defensively minded Casemiro—who is out of contract next summer—and Adam Wharton also has experience of operating in a 3-4-2-1 shape for Crystal Palace.
Atalanta’s all-action Éderson certainly boasts the energy to make up for the diminshed numbers Amorim’s double-pivot system creates and would be far cheaper than any of Baleba, Anderson or Wharton.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Carlos Baleba Speaks Out on Man Utd Transfer Rumours.
