Rewind just a few months, and Carlos Baleba was seen as Manchester United’s ideal signing in their attempt to remedy their issues in the centre of midfield.
Brighton have made a habit out of selling on their prized possessions for substantial fees, and Baleba’s case in the summer was no different as United were priced out of their £100 million-plus valuation.
Not many could have foreseen his downturn in form as we approach the end of 2025, and it is unclear whether the Seagulls could still demand a fee close to their previous price tag.
In Brighton’s first 13 Premier League games, Baleba has been subbed off at half-time on four occasions, with each sub-par performance being met by increased scrutiny. This has even caused the Red Devils to cool their interest in the Cameroonian and look at alternative options.
We will look at the stats behind his poor start to the season, why it has occurred, and whether it has ended his chances of moving to Old Trafford.
Carlos Baleba Has Had a Difficult Start to the Season
Baleba’s struggles this season has seen him being hooked off far earlier than the previous campaign.
Baleba averages just 57 minutes per game (including added time), a vast difference to the 74 minutes per game that he was averaging at this point last season.
Even more damming, Baleba has made three more appearances compared to this point last campaign, but has only been on the pitch for two more minutes in total.
And this is all because Beleba has been nowhere near his best. He received widespread plaudits last season due to his dynamism in midfield, shifting past defenders with ease but also mightily aggressive in his ability win duals, but that has been few and far between this term.
For context, Baleba’s successful dribbles and duels won per game have halved this campaign.
Carlos Baleba’s Stats in 2025/26 Compared to Last Season |
||
|---|---|---|
| Baleba in 24/25 | Baleba in 25/26 | |
| Successful dribbles per game | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Duels won per game | 5.9 | 2.9 |
Why Has Carlos Baleba Not Had a Good Start to the Season?
While it is almost undeniable that Baleba had his head turned after links to Manchester United, with manager Fabian Hurzeler admitting this was indeed the case, the midfielder also suffered a knee injury during pre-season which caused him to miss the last three friendlies before the start of the season.
A disrupted pre-season is not the ideal preparation before the start of the campaign – something we have also seen this season with British record signing Alexander Isak, who has also started the campaign poorly.
Carlos Baleba’s Troubling Start to the Season Doesn’t Seem to Be Impacting Brighton
Brighton’s brilliant start to the season sees them fifth in the Premier League table and just three points off second-place Chelsea after 13 games played.
That is in spite of Baleba’s performances, with Hurzeler able to call upon Mats Wieffer and Yasin Ayari to marshall the midfield in his stead.
Brighton are only one point worse off than last season despite their star midfielder not playing as well. Baleba only came on in the 84th minute in their 2-0 victory away to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, a performance lauded by many Brighton supporters as their best so far this season.
This makes it a strong possibility that Baleba will not get many minutes before he is one of the many Premier League players who head to the Africa Cup of Nations at the end of December.
Will Manchester United Try to Sign Baleba Again?
While Baleba has the qualities to solve Manchester United’s midfield problem, the performances of Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton in the league, and in Europe this season, seem to have moved them ahead of the Cameroonian on the club’s wishlist.
Due to his injury in pre-season, it is unclear how much of an effect the collapsed move to United has affected Baleba’s performances. This will no doubt leave doubts within the Red Devils’ recruitment team on whether the 21-year-old is ready for the highly-pressurised environment at Old Trafford.
Anderson and Wharton’s standout performances have reportedly turned their head, and the hierarchy now view the pair as the ideal solutions to Manchester United’s midfield woes.
