'We are a family unit here': Sunderland's midfielder revels in good times at Sunderland.
Formal or informal? It says a lot about the young Senegalese star that his elation at being elevated from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was tempered by worry over the two French words for “you.”
Would addressing new, established teammates by using “tu” be considered too familiar? Ultimately, the young midfielder played safe and chose the more formal “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the veterans who instructed him not to be so ridiculous; he was part of the group now.
“Once I received the first call with the coach, I reflected 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 settled in an office at the club's training ground explaining why he ignored overtures from, among others, several top European clubs. His innate courtesy endures but it is apparent that the 22-year-old Senegal international and uncertainty are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the self-assurance 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 kept him out for much of the opening months of the domestic season 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 queried Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about the manager's reputation as a gifted youth coach.
“It came as no shock by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Facing his teams I understood he was very good, very strong in terms of strategy. He’s someone I know is aiding my development. And although our primary aim is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a realistic target this season.”
A Family Atmosphere
Externally, the cold winter gusts and heavy downpour makes the region look as bleak as it is often depicted. Internally, things are considerably warmer. The environment is free of the type of tension found in certain clubs where administrative staff are kept apart from Premier League squads. Diarra portrays the environment as “really natural” and commends Le Bris’s role in its creation.
“The coach always says to us that we’re like a family here and we all fight for each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the organisation, discipline and immense effort supporting Sunderland’s defensive organization 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 engine room players complete licence to improvise and swap roles.
“The coach sets his tactics out within a structure but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a all-action No 8. “During matches that is empowering. That freedom is so important. Granit, our skipper, helps us a lot. He’s a really big player and a superb role model.”
Path and Settlement
Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has advanced to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now focusing on acquiring the vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third tongue. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up in his hometown near the Senegalese capital.
His early maturity helped him deal with the disappointment 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 manage myself.”
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 fills me with pride to play for them.”
Comparable feelings apply to Sunderland. “I've settled very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”
