TA: Baleba s English proficiency has improved by leaps and bounds; Brighton is expected to launch a bidding contest next summer

Hupu August 18th TheAthleticUK Brighton and team reporter Andy Naylor wrote a column article to analyze the future of Baleba. It is not surprising that Carlos Baleba attracted Manchester United's interest in this transfer window. It is not difficult to imagine that during next summer transfer window, major clubs will rush to sign the Brighton midfielder.

In fact, Baleba is no longer the shy 19-year-old. In August 2023, he transferred from Lille for £26 million to replace Kessedo, who just transferred to Chelsea. When Baleba was interviewed for the first time, he could only use French.

Led by former head coach Roberto Dezelby, Baleba only started 15 times in the Premier League in the 2023-24 season.

Last season, under the leadership of Xu Celeb, his number of starts jumped to 31 times. The only non-goalkeeper teammate who started more than him was Dutch centre-back Jan Paul Van Heck (33 times). As the season progresses, Baleba's physical fitness, endurance and concentration have improved significantly - a sign that he is gradually growing into a high-level Premier League player.

With the help of language courses, Baleba's mastery of English is increasingly important for his growth. This allows him to understand tactical details and communicate with his teammates more easily during the game.

A club source, who asked not to be named, said Baleba's progress in spoken and comprehension in English last season was "extraordinary" that he became one of the pistachios in the locker room.

This newfound confidence is reflected in how often Baleba appears in club videos before competition and training, whistling, dancing, and performing in front of the camera.

Baleba also showed this confidence during the team's pre-season training camp in Spain. He used to be a cheerleader on the sideline, and his cheering voice for his teammates during the game was clearly visible.

Since Manchester United has given up on the pursuit, how will all this affect Brighton's ability to retain their latest midfield star?

Well, like the case with other players in the club - they are actually all for sale, but the club doesn't want to sell, and they don't need to sell, and they only do so if the price and situation are right.

Even though roughly the same offer was made at the time, Brighton was unwilling to lose Baleba because the transfer window was about to close with only two weeks left. They have a lot of midfielders, but Baleba is the best and by far the most valuable.

United failed to express their interests clearly earlier in the transfer window, which did little to their goal - they made a contact equivalent to a field trip through the middleman, which eventually turned into communication between clubs.

As part of Brighton's succession plan, they signed Mali-born Ivorian rookie from Swedish club Gothenburg last summer for £7.6 million.

The 19-year-old played for Graz Storm on loan last season and performed well. He has a bright future, but he is not enough to replace Baleba.

If Baleba continues to improve, things may be different next summer. If Manchester United continues to maintain interest, they may find themselves lined up with long admirers waiting for Baleba. In Brighton, it is generally believed that from a time point of view, due to the high possibility of bidding wars, tomorrow summer is the time to sell Baleba.