Diaspora: Baleba’s Form Dips

Several months ago, Carlos Baleba was hailed as the next big midfield star, with his name echoing across continents. However, recent performances have not lived up to those high expectations at both club and national team levels. In Brighton’s 2-1 win over Brentford on Saturday, November 22, 2025, Baleba was substituted at halftime. The young Cameroonian midfielder struggled throughout the first half and was partly to blame for the penalty that gave Brentford the opening goal in the 29th minute. While Brighton’s coach Fabian Hurzeler is quoted to have commented that Baleba's substitution was not solely due to poor performance, he acknowledged that the player “is still not where we want him to be.” Hurzeler emphasized the need to support the youngster: “We have to create the right environment for him to improve. He’s very young, and we need to keep pushing him. I am confident he will return to his highest level.” Nonetheless, recent matches have highlighted Baleba’s tendency to lose possession carelessly and struggle to win duels. Away from Baleba, Frank Zambo Anguissa remains sidelined after injuring himself during the African zone World Cup playoffs. The Napoli midfielder was again absent in Napoli’s Serie A home game against Atalanta Bergame. Despite his in...