Man Utd set to mock our predictions if they sign Baleba to complete their midfield
Pretty much as soon as the F365 predictions had been published, Manchester United made a move that ought to prompt some hasty re-thinks…
Of our 10 resident Nostradamuses, only two tipped United to finish in the top four – even if one reckons they will win the title. Predicting those to finish in the Champions League and in what order is always the toughest of the predictions, but it is a sizeable majority who didn’t much fancy Michael Carrick’s men this season.
The feeling was that United haven’t done enough through the summer to plug their gaps. The deadline was a fortnight away when crystal balls were being rubbed, leaving enough time for so much yet to change, but United’s window seemed to be drifting towards an underwhelming conclusion.
It could yet. If they don’t strengthen at left-back, their sizeable summer brief will be unfulfilled.
But news that United are closing in on a deal to sign Carlos Beleba ought to prompt more belief in the Red Devils to at least match last season’s third-place finish.
In an ideal window, United would have reinforced the centre and left side of the defence and recruited a specialist centre-forward to take some of the strain from the tall shoulders of Benjamin Sesko. Given how uncharacteristically stealth they have been operating, who knows? Maybe they might. United acting competently will take some getting used to.
But, right now, getting a deal over the line for Baleba – or any top-class space-eating, ball-winning midfielder – is the difference between an inadequate window and one that leaves United better placed than when it opened.
Youri Tielemans seems sure to be a great addition to United’s midfield, and Andrey Santos is an intriguing signing. But without a player of Baleba’s profile, a gaping hole would still exist in Carrick’s engine room.
With that filled, the United boss can now tailor his midfield choices however he wishes. For too long, various managers have almost been made to make do in the middle of the pitch, but Carrick now has multiple options, whether the Red Devils shape up with a double pivot or a 6 and two 8s.
Whichever shape Carrick chooses, a midfielder like Baleba is the common denominator. Which explains why United have been so fond of the Brighton star for so long.
Baleba was among their top targets a year ago after the Cameroonian shone for the Seagulls in 2024/25. Our friends at Gradient Sports graded the then-20-year-old among the top eight central midfielders in the Premier League, and in the top six for duels and positioning.
Last summer, when United approached Brighton, they were told it would take over £100million to tempt them to sell Baleba. That was before the market for midfielders started wearing its pants on its head in 2026.
That United look set to get Baleba for around the £75million they would have paid a year ago highlights how the midfielder’s form and prominence dropped. Undoubtedly, his head was turned and fitness niggles meant he played just shy of half the total minutes he could.
Baleba’s struggles last season will have made United somewhat more hesitant and open to other ideas, but his 2024/25 left an impression deep enough to make him, in their eyes, the best potentially available option.
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His drop in form last season may prompt some scepticism over whether Baleba is now the man to complete United’s midfield. But without that drop in form Baleba would remain out of United’s reach – like Elliot Anderson and Matheus Fernandes – while they refuse to indulge in nine-figure negotiations.
United also saw enough vim and vigour in his performances last season for Cameroon, for whom his confidence remained undiminished, to believe that he can quickly reach the levels that first turned Red heads in 2024.
If United are right, the majority of us here will most probably be wrong.
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