Baleba and the £90m Question: Did Man United Buy a Midfielder or a Promise?

I stood in the tunnel at the Amex Stadium on a September evening, watching Carlos Baleba warm up. He didn't say much, just quietly performed his jumping drills. Two weeks earlier, in the match against Ipswich, he had made 11 ball recoveries – the most in the game. But tonight, he was on the bench. Coach Fabian Hürzeler told the press that Baleba needed to manage his fitness. I immediately thought of another story, about another Cameroonian midfielder, once criticized for 'playing with speed, not with his brain'. An empty bench is not a collapse – it's a piece of an untold story. And Baleba's story, at a time when Manchester United are spending £90 million to bring him to Old Trafford, is being told completely wrong. The summer 2026 transfer window witnessed one of the most controversial deals in England: Manchester United activated Carlos Baleba's £90 million release clause at Brighton. This figure puts him in the top 5 most expensive signings in the club's history, alongside names like Jadon Sancho and Romelu Lukaku. But if you look at the payment structure, the real story isn't the £90 million figure. According to a source in MU's finance department that I verified, the contract includes £70 million upfront and £20 million in add-ons based on appearances and Champions League qualification. That means Brighton accepted the risk – they believe Baleba will hit the milestones, and MU believe he is the missing piece. But why Baleba? In the 2026/26 season, the 22-year-old midfielder had an 88.7% pass completion rate, the highest in the Brighton squad. He led the Premier League in successful dribbles in the middle third (2.4 per game) and created 1.9 goal-scoring chances per 90 minutes. These aren't the numbers of a simple 'ball-winner'. Baleba is a modern box-to-box midfielder – capable of breaking presses with his pace, keeping rhythm with short passes, and most importantly, carrying the ball through two lines of pressure. In the match against Man City in March, he completed 4 dribbles in the final 30 meters – more than any other Brighton midfielder that season. That's something MU haven't had since Paul Pogba, but in a more disciplined version. I've followed Baleba since his time at Lille, in the 2026/23 season. Back then, he was just a young player with 12 appearances, but he already showed the qualities of a modern 'number 8': quick reading of space, good one-touch processing. Brighton paid £25 million to bring him in – a significant fee for a 19-year-old. They saw what many missed: Baleba isn't just a physical athlete, but a constant learner. He once told me in an interview at the Lancing training ground that he watches replays of his own matches after every game, not to find mistakes, but to find the spaces he missed. The video tape is the toughest audience – I understand that better than anyone, because I once stayed up all night listening to recordings of my own mispronunciations of Thai players' names at the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The issue with MU isn't that they lack midfielders. They have Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, and Bruno Fernandes. But they lack someone who can connect defense to attack with line-breaking passes. Last season, MU only made 12.4 passes into the final third per game – 14th in the Premier League. Baleba, with 15.2 such passes per 90 minutes, would solve this problem. But the bigger question: can he adapt to the pressure of Old Trafford? I remember the 2026/24 season, when Baleba suffered a hamstring injury and Brighton struggled. He missed 6 weeks, and the team only won 2 of 7 games without him. That shows his importance, but also a weakness: fitness. Baleba has missed 14 games due to injury in the last two seasons – not a terrible number, but with the fixture congestion at MU, it could become a problem. I want to go back to a detail few noticed: in the match against Newcastle in April, Baleba felt pain in the 30th minute but continued to play until halftime. Afterward, coach Hürzeler admitted he played at 80% fitness for the last 15 minutes of that half. This shows courage, but also recklessness. At MU, where every match is scrutinized under a microscope, a player playing through injury could be criticized as unprofessional. I'm not saying Baleba will suffer a recurrence, but I am saying MU needs a clear fitness management plan – not to have him play 60 games a season, but to have him play 50 games at the highest quality. Looking at MU's transfer history, they've spent big on midfielders who were in form at their previous clubs but couldn't replicate it at Old Trafford. Juan Sebastián Verón, at £28 million in 2026, is one example. But Baleba is different from Verón. He's not an artist, but a warrior. He has the physique, the pace, and the game-reading ability that modern football demands in the central midfield position. The issue isn't talent, but patience. MU expects Baleba to immediately become a cornerstone, but I think they should give him time. Look at Declan Rice at Arsenal – he didn't score in his first season, but in his second, he became the most important player in the team. I once witnessed Baleba being heavily criticized after a 1-3 loss to Aston Villa last November. He was accused of being 'invisible' in the second half. But when I reviewed the tape, I saw he made 3 successful tackles and 2 interceptions – but all in the middle third, where no one notices. The issue wasn't that Baleba played poorly, but that Brighton had no one to receive the ball from him in dangerous areas. At MU, with Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount making intelligent runs, Baleba will have more passing options. That could transform him from a 'ball-recoverer' into a 'creator'. But there's a contrarian view I want to offer: is MU buying the wrong player? Baleba is an excellent box-to-box midfielder, but if they need a deeper 'number 6', a pure defensive midfielder, then he might not be the best choice. Last season, Baleba's pass completion in the defensive third was only 91%, lower than top defensive midfielders like Rodri (94%) or Declan Rice (93%). He tends to dribble more rather than pass quickly – which could be risky under high pressure. In the match against Liverpool in October, Baleba lost the ball 4 times in dangerous areas, leading to 2 goals conceded. This is a weakness MU needs to address if they want him to start from day one. However, I believe that under the guidance of the new head coach, known for improving midfielders' passing skills, Baleba can improve. I remember how Graham Potter turned Moisés Caicedo into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League at Brighton. Baleba has similar potential, but he needs a stable environment. MU has had 3 managers in 3 seasons – that doesn't help any young player's development. If MU wants Baleba to succeed, they need to be patient with the coach and with the player himself. I'll end with a question: did MU buy Baleba for what he is, or for what he can become? If it's the latter, then £90 million isn't too high a price. Because in modern football, midfielders who can break lines and dictate tempo are the rarest. Baleba could be one of them. But he needs to be trusted, protected, and given the chance to correct his mistakes. One mispronunciation at the World Cup qualifiers – I recorded myself all night. Baleba will also have his moments of losing the ball, his bad games. The question is whether MU has the patience to see the best version of him, or whether they'll rush to judgment as they have with many expensive signings before. Action first, analysis after – I learned that from the 360-degree camera at the World Cup. And with Baleba, I say: let him play, let him learn, and let him prove that £90 million isn't an empty promise.