CARLOS BALEBA CONFESSES: MAN UTD RUMORS CAUSED "PRESSURE," NOT DECLINE IN FORM
Manchester United target Carlos Baleba addressed his dip in form, admitting he felt intense pressure to perform, but denied transfer rumors were the root cause.
Carlos Baleba has spoken out about whether summer rumours of a possible move to Manchester United have affected his play. There was talk that the Cameroon player might head to Old Trafford during the summer transfer window. Ruben Amorim was looking to reinforce his midfield. But United couldn't agree on a fee with Brighton, so the transfer didn't happen.
The Brighton manager thinks the United rumours had an impact on Baleba.
United were busy in the summer, bringing in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko from Wolves, Brentford, and RB Leipzig to strengthen their attack. The Manchester team also signed Senne Lammens from Antwerp to replace Andre Onana, who was inconsistent and moved to Trabzonspor on loan, and Altay Bayindir in goal.
Amorim wanted to sign another central midfielder to support Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who are the first-choice players. United tried to make a deal with Brighton for Baleba, but Brighton rejected their offer. They thought the price for the former Lille player, around £100 million ($134m), was too high, and no deal was reached.
Brighton has had a good start to the season. Baleba hasn't played as well as he did last season. Last month, coach Fabian Hurzeler asked for the rumours about the midfielder and United to stop so the player could focus on football.
Hurzeler said, It's about playing for Brighton, playing well, and helping him get back to his best. Ignore the rumours and focus on what you can control, which is football.
Baleba Claims He Felt Pressure
This season, Baleba has only played a full 90 minutes in one Premier League game and has been substituted at halftime four times. However, the player insists that the reports about a move to United are not why he hasn't played well.
Baleba told Sky Sports, I don't think it hurt me, but I felt a lot of pressure. At the beginning of the season, I wanted to play as well as I did last season.
I try to work hard every day to get back to where I was. Did I put too much pressure on myself? I think so, but it's okay. It's good for me because now I have to get through this tough time and keep working hard.
Baleba Isn't the Only Midfielder United Wants
Baleba might move to Old Trafford in January. United wants to add players to the midfield soon. The Cameroon player, who played his last Brighton game on Saturday before going to the Africa Cup of Nations, is not the only Premier League central midfielder United is interested in.
Crystal Palace player Adam Wharton is also wanted by United, but several other Premier League teams are watching the former Blackburn Rovers player. Elliot Anderson has also become a possible target for Amorim's team. But Nottingham Forest will not let the England player leave in January.
United's failure to add midfielders in early 2026 will affect Kobbie Mainoo's chances of leaving next month. Many European teams, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Napoli, want the England international. But United will not let Mainoo leave without a good replacement.
United Plays Again on Monday Night
United's next game is on Monday night at home against Bournemouth. Amorim has led United to two wins in their last three games. They drew 1-1 at home against West Ham between wins at Crystal Palace and Wolves.
With seven points out of the last nine, United is now three points behind the Champions League spots. They also have one game in hand on Chelsea, who are in fourth place.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.