Carlos Baleba’s injury offers a chance to reboot his Brighton career

Injuries rarely come with a bright side, but Carlos Baleba’s ankle ligament damage could have a silver lining for Brighton & Hove Albion.

Although the Cameroon midfielder is expected to miss the start of the season, at least his setback reduces the possibility he could depart before the summer transfer window shuts on September 1.

As The Athletic reported on Thursday, Baleba’s absence is a blow but Brighton do not expect the injury to be a long-term problem.

Once he recovers, the 22-year-old will be central to the plans of head coach Fabian Hurzeler. Brighton’s prospects in the Premier League, Conference League and domestic cup competitions will improve substantially if Baleba rediscovers the form that attracted strong interest from Manchester United last summer.

United’s eagerness to land him has cooled since then. They still rate him highly, but not as highly as Brighton value a player they believe has the tools to put a below-par 2025-26 season behind him.

Last August, when United made contact via intermediaries to explore the conditions of a deal, it was made clear that Brighton wanted to keep Baleba. United hoped they could get him for around £60million ($80m at the time). They broadly agreed personal terms with Baleba, but the asking price was close to £115m, with the deal that took Moises Caicedo to Chelsea from Brighton in 2023 used as a yardstick.

The clubs were poles apart in their valuations. United made a courtesy call to Brighton the day before the season kicked off to say they would not be pursuing the transfer.

Although Brighton have been prepared to listen to offers for Baleba this summer, the price difference would have remained a stumbling block. They appreciate that Baleba’s value has dropped with his dip in form, but they still rate him above the ballpark figure United had in mind before head coach Ruben Amorim was sacked and replaced in January by Michael Carrick.

Brighton have finished eighth in two successive seasons under Hurzeler. That table parity contrasts with Baleba’s fluctuating influence.

He was a powerhouse in the 2024-25 season, a box-to-box bundle of combative athleticism. He played 34 league games out of a possible 38, including 31 starts. He completed 90 minutes on 17 occasions, contributing three goals plus an assist. United’s interest was the most meaningful, but other European heavyweights also had an eye on his progress.

Baleba’s output last season fell appreciably. He played fewer games (31), started less often (23), completed 90 minutes three times and provided no goals or assists. His total game time dropped to 1,652 minutes, which included being substituted at half-time on four occasions. He was at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon in December and January, ruling him out of five fixtures, but lapses in concentration and a drop-off in intensity blunted Baleba’s effectiveness.

Carlos Baleba battles with Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes for the ball in October (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

There were mitigating circumstances — the head-turning distraction of United’s interest plus a knee injury sustained during a pre-season training camp in Spain denied Baleba a smooth preparation. Once again, he will be playing catch-up after another pre-season blow. Baleba had 45 minutes in a 4-1 friendly win against Wycombe Wanderers at Brighton’s training headquarters in Lancing on July 18, but he played no part in a 4-3 victory over Strasbourg last Saturday at the end of a week-long camp in Austria after limping out of a session 24 hours earlier.

The injury has disrupted what had promised to be a reinvigorating build-up to the campaign. Cameroon did not qualify for the World Cup, so Baleba spent time in June in Toronto at the Gridiron Academy, which has multi-sports training bases in Canada. One-to-one sprint and strength drills on the grass and in the gym, plus a holiday in Europe with family members, provided a refresh before reporting back to Brighton at the beginning of July.

Baleba lives with a family and the French speaker’s English is improving. Hurzeler knows what he is capable of. The German is like a father figure, attempting to cajole him back to his best. Hurzeler had to adapt last season during Baleba’s struggles, calling upon Yasin Ayari, Jack Hinshelwood and Pascal Gross — but none of them can replicate Baleba’s brand of physicality and mobility when he is in full flow.

Baleba is still raw. He had made only six Ligue 1 starts at Lille when he was signed in the summer of 2023 in a deal worth just under £26m. He has two years left on his contract, with an option to extend by 12 months. When he is fit, a return to the form he showed two seasons ago would benefit Brighton and his future career.