This transfer was enough to surprise more than one in England. However, after a few months in France, he had already been unanimously approved by everyone thanks to his excellent performances with LOSC. While Moises Caicedo was coveted by the biggest clubs in England last summer before joining Chelsea, Brighton worked hard to find a replacement for him. The Seagulls’ leaders did not hesitate and gave 27 million euros to Lille to attract Carlos Baleba from the other side of France. Only 19 years old, the young Cameroonian midfielder was therefore going to export his talents to the south of England to take over from a reference in his position under the orders of Roberto de Zerbi.
A difficult task for the Douala native who nevertheless responded. In a more complicated season for the residents of the AMEX Stadium, the young Cameroonian struggled to make a starting place. Finally, over the course of the season, the latter managed to make a lasting place for himself to the point of collecting 39 matches last season. In an exclusively defensive role in front of the defense, the player trained at EF Brasseries du Cameroun was unable to be decisive in front of the goal or the pass. This summer, after the departure of RDZ to Marseille and the arrival of Fabian Hürzeler, the cards were reshuffled. And this benefited Baleba, author of a start to the season that was impressive to say the least.
Carlos Baleba is unanimous in England
Indeed, sometimes used higher by the German technician, Baleba brings to the table other qualities that are often appreciated in England. Valuable in recovery and physically impressive in surpassing his opponents offensively, the Seagulls’ number 20 is already adored in England. Like Brighton’s start to the season, Carlos Baleba impresses. A starter since the start of the season, the latter is a key player for Hürzeler and he even unblocked his counter by scoring with a beautiful strike from outside the area against Watford this Wednesday in the EFL Cup. A start to the season praised by one of the Hornets’ legends, Troy Deeney. The former striker, now a consultant for the BBC, even got excited about the future of the Cameroonian prodigy: “I was there for Ipswich v Brighton and it’s very rare to watch a Premier League game where someone seems to be above both teams. He walked all over £50m Kalvin Phillips like he wasn’t there. If he can keep this up he won’t be at Brighton for much longer.»
Of course, there is no shortage of comparisons with great Premier League midfielders. For the moment, the Douala native remains a Brighton player and still has a lot of room for improvement to establish himself as one of the best in his position. An opinion shared by many observers who nevertheless remain stunned by the great progress shown by the midfielder. This is particularly the case for his coach, Fabian Hürzeler: “He is a great player and he is progressing quickly because he understands ideas. But I always say that he still has a lot of potential. Our job is to help me and provide him with an environment that allows him to improve. It is very important for young people to receive feedback and not to stagnate.“We will have to keep an eye on how Carlos Baleba’s future goes. As these lines are being written, the future looks bright.
