Formal or informal? It speaks volumes about the young Senegalese star that his elation at being promoted from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the first team was mixed with worry over the two French words for “you.”
Was it appropriate to address new, established teammates by using “tu” be considered disrespectful? In the end, the promising talent opted for caution and chose the more polite “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the older players who told him not to be so silly; he was part of the group now.
“After I had 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 ambition of mine and the coach presented me with a well-defined and appealing project.”
Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is sitting in an office at the club's training ground explaining why he turned down offers from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His innate courtesy endures but it is clear that the young Senegal international and doubt are practically unacquainted. Diarra carries himself with the confidence befitting a player who led Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an AFCON winners’ medal.
A Clear Project
With the groin injury that sidelined him for much of the opening months of the league campaign healed, Diarra is on a mission to show exactly why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Pundits in France and Senegal questioned Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s reputation as a talented youth coach.
“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s capable of,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I understood he was very good, very strong tactically. He’s someone I know is helping my game progress. And although our primary aim is reaching 40 points, a place in Europe is certainly a realistic target this season.”
A Unified Environment
Outside, the chilly February wind and driving rain makes the region look as bleak as it is often depicted. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The environment is free of the type of strain found in certain clubs where office workers are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra portrays the environment as “really natural” and commends Le Bris’s role in its creation.
“The coach always says to us that we have a familial bond here and we all fight for each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”
Liberty and Structure
If the structure, rigor and sheer hard yards supporting Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a proof of the head coach’s meticulous eye for detail, Le Bris also likes his players to use their initiative. He offers his midfielders complete licence to improvise and interchange positions.
“The coach sets his tactics out within a framework but we have license to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a all-action No 8. “During matches that feels good. That autonomy is so important. Our captain, Granit, helps us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a superb role model.”
Path and Settlement
Diarra is using a French interpreter but his English has advanced to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now concentrating on acquiring the vocabulary 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 early maturity helped him combat the frustration of needing groin surgery 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 manage myself.”
Diarra is now anticipating 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. “I have no remorse. 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.”
