Why Man Utd MUST sign 'the next Moises Caicedo'

Cameron Smith

• 12 Nov 2024 21:00 GMT
• 6 min read

Manchester United’s recent transfer business has bordered on abhorrent, with the Red Devils wasting millions in the market over the past few years.

Raphael Varane has arguably been their only true success story since the addition of Bruno Fernandes in 2020, with the likes of Donny van de Beek, Antony and Mason Mount failing to live up to their huge price tags.

INEOS’ arrival promised to fix Man Utd’s transfer woes, but their first summer window in charge has already aged poorly.

READ MORE: Man Utd line up BLOCKBUSTER €130m deal

Noussair Mazraoui has adapted superbly, granted, but Joshua Zirkzee has been a disaster, Matthijs de Ligt looks unsuited to the Premier League, Leny Yoro hasn’t played due to injury and Manuel Ugarte has been unconvincing.

Ruben Amorim will demand major improvement in the market next year, but it could take years for the club to undo their recent transfer errors.

A good starting point, however, would be to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba.

READ MORE: Man Utd help Chelsea sign Victor Osimhen

Carlos Baleba to Man Utd?

Man Utd’s midfield recruitment has been shoddy at best over the past decade, and they are in desperate need of a suitable long-term partner for Kobbie Mainoo.

Casemiro certainly isn’t that player and while Ugarte could develop into a star at Old Trafford, he has several major weaknesses, especially in possession and regarding his ability to defend in a controlled manner.

As a result, signing a new midfielder should be a priority for Amorim next year, along with adding a reliable goalscorer.

Several candidates will no doubt crop up in transfer discussions, but Baleba should be right at the top of Man Utd’s wish-list.

The 20-year-old joined Brighton from Lille last summer and he has already been frequently compared to Chelsea star Moises Caicedo - his predecessor at the AMEX Stadium.

Baleba only started 15 Premier League matches during his debut season at Brighton, but he is now a key player under Fabian Hurzeler and he has developed into the perfect all-round midfielder.

The Cameroon international is stylish and classy when evading pressure from opponents, with his effortless dribbling style enabling him to escape tight situations on a consistent basis.

His passing range has also improved vastly over the past 12 months, while his physicality, stamina and defensive acumen ensure he is almost able to patrol the midfield on his own.

Baleba was excluded from Brighton’s starting XI against Manchester City, to the bewilderment of Seagulls supporters, but he flipped the game on its head upon his introduction at half-time.

Current ETV

Carlos Baleba

DM (RL), AM (C)

Carlos Baleba

DM (RL), AM (C)

€23.6M

ETV Range

€17.7M - €29.5M

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Pep Guardiola’s side couldn’t get near Baleba as he delivered arguably his best performance in a Brighton shirt.

Man Utd missed out on Caicedo during his time at Independiente del Valle and it would be remiss of them to allow Baleba to continue developing at Brighton before eventually joining a rival.