Brighton star responds to Arsenal and Liverpool transfer links - 'Doesn’t do it for me'

Brighton star Carlos Baleba has cooled transfer talk as he remains linked with Liverpool and Arsenal.

The 20-year-old has emerged as one of the brightest stars in the Premier League. The Cameroonian has made 47 appearances for Brighton over the last two seasons.

He has made sure that Brighton have not missed the presence of former midfielders Yves Bissouma and Moises Caicedo - who have moved to Tottenham and Chelsea respectively. Baleba’s performances have certainly not gone unnoticed elsewhere either.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham have all emerged as potential contenders for his services. Brighton are not keen on selling given that he has four years left on his contract on the South Coast.

And Baleba has now confirmed that a transfer is not on the agenda in the immediate future. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I don’t really think like that: playing for two or three years and then leaving. Me? I just work. In my head it’s all about working and helping my club.

“If I can help a team-mate, I will. If they can help me, I’ll accept that help to push forward and develop. So I just work to help my team and for myself, to progress for the future.

“In return, everyone who helps me wants me to go to the highest level. And if there are big clubs who want me, it’s not something that worries me or gets me excited. I just need to work hard and keep a cool head.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be the star or the next big thing. For me, being the star is quite a lot. Everyone talking about you, singing your name? That just doesn’t do it for me. It’s not something that gets me running. I just prefer getting my head down and working on the pitch.”

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has hailed Baleba for his standout performances this term. Speaking in September, he said: “I think he’s a great player, he’s developing and improving fast and he’s adapting to the ideas very quickly.

“He understands it and as I have always said he has so much potential. When we go into detail there’s so many things where you can improve, and our job is to help him and to give him this environment. I have great staff who help him every day – my assistant coaches and my analysts work with him and talk to him.”