Brighton Manager Believes 20-Year-Old Midfielder Carlos Baleba Could Be Premier League's Best Player

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has expressed his belief that 20-year-old midfielder Carlos Baleba has the potential to become one of the best players in the Premier League. However, De Zerbi also acknowledged that Baleba may not yet be ready to step into the boots of suspended player Billy Gilmour.

Gilmour was sent off in Brighton's recent match against Everton for a late challenge on Amadou Onana. As a result, he will be suspended for the upcoming FA Cup game against Wolves and league matches against Fulham and Nottingham Forest.

De Zerbi described Gilmour as the team's only playmaker and suggested that Baleba could be his replacement in the upcoming games. However, he also mentioned that Jakub Moder is seen more as an alternative to Pascal Gross.

While praising Gilmour's unique abilities, De Zerbi expressed his confidence in Baleba's potential. Although Baleba is young and has not played many games since joining Brighton last summer, De Zerbi believes that he can develop into one of the best players in the Premier League.

In the match against Everton, Brighton was already a goal down when Gilmour was sent off. Jarrad Branthwaite had given Everton the lead with a powerful strike. Despite being a goal up and having a man advantage, Everton failed to control the game and allowed Brighton to equalize in the final minutes of added time.

Reflecting on the match, De Zerbi stated that a point is better than nothing and felt that his team deserved to win, having created numerous scoring opportunities.

With Gilmour's absence, fans will be eager to see how Baleba performs in the upcoming matches.