OTD: DIARRA SIGNS

On this day last year, Sunderland completed the club-record signing of Senegalese midfielder Habib Diarra from Strasbourg.

Diarra signed his first professional contract in August 2021 for Les Bleu et Blanc and made his senior debut just a couple of months later, coming on as a late sub in a 5-1 win against Saint-Etienne at the age of 17.

At the age of just 20 he was given the captains armband and accumulated over 100 appearances and helped the club qualify for the Europa Conference League with a 7^th place finish in the 2024/25 season.

Diarra had also impressed on the international stage with Senegal. Having originally debuted for France Under-21 in 2023, he chose to represent the African nation. One of his standout performances for his country actually came against England, scoring in a 3-1 victory over the Three Lions at the City Ground last summer.

This caught the eye of Sunderland who, having just broken their previous transfer record on Enzo Le Fee for a reported £19 million, bid £30 million for the midfielder. The days of Didier Ndong feeling a distant memory with Strasbourg accepting the offer and it got things rolling as the start of a busy July of incomings.

Habib had a rather frustrating first season at the Stadium of Light. After a promising start he picked up an injury that would rule him out of action till December. He would then after one appearance back, head of to the African Cup of Nations where Senegal would lift the trophy beating Morocco. However, that title has for the time being at least, been stripped due to the chaos that went on during the final.

Diarra would return to England with some bright performances including a goal in a 3-0 win over Burnley. That form did decline with many raising questions on the amount spent on the 22-year-old. A costly miss away at Aston Villa did not help his case as Diarra found himself amongst the subs during the run in.

It must be said though a positive cameo away at Everton ended up being crucial for the club’s European qualification. He is still young and a stop start season has probably not helped him settle. Fingers crossed next season we will see the best version of Habib Diarra.