Formal or informal? It says a lot about the young Senegalese star that his elation at being elevated from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the first team was tempered by worry over the two French words for “you.”
Would addressing new, senior teammates by using “tu” be regarded as disrespectful? In the end, the young midfielder played safe and selected the more polite “vous”. Cue wholesale laughter from the veterans who told him not to be so ridiculous; he was one of them now.
“Once I received the first call with the coach, I sat down and said to my parents: ‘Sunderland’s where I want to be; that’s where I want to play.’ The Premier League was always a goal of mine and the coach outlined for me a clear and interesting project.”
Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is sitting in an office at Sunderland’s Academy of Light explaining why he ignored overtures from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His natural politeness endures but it is clear that the young Senegal international and uncertainty are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the confidence befitting a player who captained Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an Africa Cup of Nations winners’ medal.
A Clear Project
With the groin injury that kept him out for much of the first half of the league campaign healed, Diarra is on a mission to demonstrate precisely why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal queried Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about the manager's standing as a gifted youth coach.
“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s capable of,” says Diarra. “Facing his teams I realised he was very good, very strong tactically. He’s someone I know is helping my game progress. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, a place in Europe is certainly a realistic target this season.”
A Unified Environment
Externally, the cold winter gusts and driving rain makes Wearside look as grim as it is often stereotyped. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The atmosphere is free of the type of strain found in certain clubs where administrative staff are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra portrays the environment as “really natural” and praises Le Bris’s role in its formation.
“The coach always says to us that we’re like a family here and we all support each other,” he says. “Each of us takes pride of each other.”
Liberty and Structure
If the structure, rigor and sheer hard yards supporting Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a testament to the head coach’s meticulous eye for detail, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his midfielders full freedom to improvise and interchange positions.
“The coach sets his tactics out within a structure but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who favors playing as a box-to-box No 8. “Out on the pitch that feels good. That autonomy is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a fantastic example.”
Path and Settlement
Diarra is using a French interpreter but his English has progressed to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now concentrating on acquiring the language skills to also answer them, which would be his third tongue. He is proficient in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in Guédiawaye near Dakar.
His precocious maturity helped him combat the frustration of needing an operation followed by four months on the sidelines last autumn. “Getting hurt so soon after arriving here was frustrating, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to handle the situation.”
Diarra is now looking forward to playing in this summer’s global tournament. Given Senegal have been drawn in the same group as France, a emotional matchup awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I enjoyed representing for France but my heart spoke,” says Diarra. “There’s no regrets. I was born in Senegal; it makes me proud to play for them.”
Comparable feelings apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I feel really comfortable here.”
