Why Man Utd now need to sign £100m “monster”

Manchester United have not been a possession-based Premier League team for a while now. Inconsistencies and so many changes in the dugout has edged Old Trafford away from ball-dominating football.

You would have to scale back to 2016/17, with Jose Mourinho at the helm, to find a Man United team who finished the campaign with a possession average surpassing 56% (56.5%), and even then, they ranked fifth in that table.

To equate possession with success would be foolish – Michael Carrick boasts a 48.1% possession average across his managerial career with Man United, after all – but there’s no question that the Red Devils need to play with a bit more control next season, consolidating a position they have pulled themselves up to in Carrick’s set-up.

United are not targeting maestro midfielders this summer, and that makes a firm comment on INEOS’ strategy, but new midfielders are still needed, even with Andrey Santos already brought over from Chelsea.

Why Man United made a dart to sign Andrey Santos

Santos is one of the most exciting young midfielders in the Premier League, with analyst Ben Mattinson claiming he has “everything you want in a centre-midfielder”.

Of course, expectation and application are two different things, and the Brazilian, 23 years old, largely flattered to deceive with Chelsea last season after his exceptional loan spell in France with Strasbourg, managed by Liam Rosenior.

United have signed a rising star who has the potential to be a superstar, but he is not there yet. Carrick will need a more experienced and accomplished six to play alongside Kobbie Mainoo and tutor Santos as he rises to the fore.

Ederson was supposed to be that man, but a deal for the Atalanta midfielder has fallen through. INEOS must dust themselves off and go again; there is no time to waste.

United will need to figure out an alternative road, but they are covering their bases this summer and have identified an exciting fallback.

Man United ready to pay for Ederson alternative

Manchester United are in talks to sign Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, and a deal is on its way to completion. The 29-year-old is a skilled and experienced midfield operator, and his metronomic passing ability could be the perfect tool for Carrick to utilise and establish smoother passing patterns.

But Tielemans probably isn’t enough on his own. Casemiro has left, after all, and Manuel Ugarte is going to be sidelined for a long time after injuring his knee with Uruguay at the World Cup.

Well, according to Football Insider, a deal for Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba could be revisited now that Ederson has caved in.

Baleba has not enjoyed the strongest of seasons in the Premier League, and thus, the Seagulls would need to lower their £100m price tag for the Red Devils to advance, but it’s understood that United could advance if given encouragement by the south coast side.

Personal terms were agreed with the player last year so he is evidently keen on a move.

Journalist Eduardo Hagn has hailed him as a “monster” of a midfield talent, and while the 2025/26 campaign was somewhat unkind to the Cameroonian, he remains someone who could make a world of difference.

Across the 2024/25 season, he was a force of physical strength and steel in the middle of the park, winning so many challenges and carrying the ball forward with purpose and precision.

Baleba, like Santos, did not perform at a high level last season, but that is certainly not to say that he couldn’t make a bigger impact at Old Trafford next year. The key point of difference is that Brighton’s all-action midfielder has performed at an elite level in the past in the Premier League, whereas Santos is still striving to take that mammoth step forward to assist his development.

United made headway under Carrick’s wing last season, but more is needed if they are to consolidate their position as Champions League competitors and start to close the distance on the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City ahead of them.

A robust and talented dueller such as Baleba could hold the key. He shares a number of similarities with Santos, but likes to get forward more than serve a box-to-box role. He is probably less penetrative a passer, but then that is not his wheelhouse.

When considering the crucial factor that Baleba has thrived in the Premier League before, it’s clear that United should place emphasis on signing the Brighton man this summer, not only landing a bigger talent than Santos, but signing a midfielder who has the potential to become one of Europe’s finest.

INEOS are clearly working hard to bring the Theatre of Dreams back up to its former pedigree, and if they can get a deal for Baleba over the line, they would take a significant stride forward.

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