Brighton boss makes Carlos Baleba-Man Utd transfer admission after taking him off at half-time vs Spurs

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The ripples of the transfer window are still being felt, and Brighton won’t be thanking Man Utd for the one they are feeling about Carlos Baleba.

Man Utd might not have succeeded in getting Carlos Baleba from Brighton in the summer transfer window, but they made no effort to keep their interest a secret.

In many ways, it was a declaration of interest to stay first in the queue next summer when Brighton will be more open to doing business.

However, while next summer is quite far away, the repercussions of United’s actions are being felt at Brighton, and it happened again recently to prompt manager Fabian Hurzeler into action.

Fabian Hurzeler makes Carlos Baleba to Man Utd admission

For Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, the noise around Baleba’s potential move to Old Trafford is something he could have done without.

Hurzeler has addressed it multiple times, including once in the transfer window to put an end to the saga.

The saga might have ended in Brighton and Hurzeler’s mind, but it clearly hasn’t for Baleba, who has been affected by it.

Baleba has had a poor start to the season, and the latest nadir was reached in Brighton’s recent game against Spurs, where he was taken off at half-time in the 2-2 draw.

Hurzeler was sympathetic to Baleba’s situation after the game and admitted that United’s interest had turned Baleba’s head.

He said: “For sure, when a young boy reads that there’s interest from Manchester United with a big offer, it might affect him deeply, even if he’s not saying.

“That’s also part of the development, to understand that when you play well, there comes a big offer from a big club that wants to have him. Then, to keep pushing to be humble, stay here and be bright, and try to make the next step together with the team.”

Man Utd have been handed a risk with Baleba

While Man Utd fans will be happy to have a confirmation of just how desperate Baleba was to join Man Utd, the flipside is less exciting.

If Baleba can’t get his mojo back at Brighton after interest from United, then it doesn’t reflect well on his mentality and resilience.

Bryan Mbeumo, for example, was lauded for his conduct when Brentford were playing hardball with United, as he reported to training as usual and stayed quiet.

Baleba hasn’t made any public remarks either, but his performances speak louder than words, and Brighton clearly feel his head is not in it anymore.

If the speculation has affected him this deeply, then it’s a worry because the noise around a United player is ramped up to a thousand times what he’s feeling right now.