How can Man Utd sign a midfielder with more qualities than Santos & Ederson

Manchester United are fast approaching the new Premier League season, and there is a sense that INEOS and Michael Carrick need to step up their summer rebuild.

With a change of pace, United can expect to compete in four competitions next season, return to the Champions League and be hungry for promotion to the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. All the while looking to upset the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the league.

United have ruffled feathers at times in this post-Fergie world, but they have never cemented a title charge. After a dramatic turnaround under Carrick last year, who replaced Ruben Amorim in January, optimism is rising again at Old Trafford.

Those in the theater are dreaming again, but they still have holes to fill, especially in midfield, even with Andrey Santos who has already signed with a fine pen.

Why Man Utd paid big money for Santos

Casemiro is gone, and with him, not only the technical quality and the defensive style of fighting, but the spirit and intelligence and experience that is unmatched at the very top of the game. He will be sorely missed, and his Brazilian compatriot Santos has stepped into some very big boots.

United signed the 22-year-old from Chelsea for £50m this summer. He previously spent a season and a half on loan in France with Strasbourg, where talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed him as a “one-man war machine in midfield.”

There are excellent players everywhere, but Santos produces the most ball-winning plays. He is neat on the ball and intelligent enough, but he lacks the perfection and confidence that is responsible for United’s progress in football. In that, he can be a unique partner for Kobbie Mainoo.

Santos is not enough to protect Man United in their dream season. After all, he only started 13 times in the Premier League last year for Chelsea, leaving a lot to be desired there.

The clock is ticking, and with Atalanta’s deal for Ederson expiring earlier this month, it is clear that the Red Devils have the means and the desire to sign another midfielder.

How Man Utd can sign upgrades to Santos and Ederson

Man United find themselves being linked with every player under the sun every time the transfer window comes around, and this year is no different. Some rumors are stronger than others, however, with a long-term target also emerging as an option for Carrick’s side.

According to Fabrizio Romano during one of his many YouTube updates, Man United are interested in signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba, although whether they will reopen talks with the Seagulls remains to be seen.

While last year Brighton quoted Man United for £100m, a more expensive deal of £75m would be enough to get this one over the line now, and the Cameroonian has had an underwhelming year in the Premier League.

But he is still young, and he has shown in the 2024/25 campaign that he can produce and maintain a high level in the Premier League. In that, he has gone above Santos already, while Ederson has yet to enter the big time.

Ederson, 27, is a powerful and incredibly versatile midfielder, but he is not as naturally forward as Baleba, whose bursts can be directed towards helping the attack and protecting the rear, recycling possessions.

Furthermore, Santos lacks that brilliance in attacking succession as well. At Chelsea in the Premier League last year, he completed 0.07 dribbles per game.

Baleba would give the Red Devils the best of the two players. He could actually be an interesting partner for a midfielder like Santos, and if he returns to his previous form in the Premier League, he will once again prove himself as a valuable upgrade for Ederson.

Hailed as a “beast” of a midfielder by journalist Eduardo Hagn, he gets the idea that Baleba needs to change positions to get back to his old form. You’ve been there, and you’re still very young. Indeed, throughout the 2024/25 campaign, you could argue that he has reached a level that Ederson and Santos have yet to reach themselves.

He would cost more than Atalanta’s Brazilian star: £35m was agreed for that. However, Carrick would get a midfielder with Premier League experience and star potential, who far exceeded the club’s target.

Can Man United pull this off? They need to add another midfielder this summer, and Baleba’s desire to play for the club, starting in 2025 unfortunately, could see them produce a top-class, mid-park player who is looking for titles and success in Europe.