Formal or informal? It speaks volumes about the young Senegalese star that his delight at being elevated from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was tempered by worry over the two distinct words for “you.”
Would addressing new, older teammates by using “tu” be considered too familiar? Ultimately, the young midfielder played safe and chose the more polite “vous”. Cue widespread amusement from the older players who told him not to be so ridiculous; he was one of them now.
“After I had 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 ambition of mine and the coach outlined for me a clear and interesting project.”
Almost five years later, Diarra is sitting in an office at Sunderland’s Academy of Light explaining why he ignored overtures from, among others, several top European clubs. His innate courtesy remains but it is apparent that the 22-year-old Senegal international and doubt are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the confidence suited to a player who led Strasbourg at the age of 20 and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an AFCON championship trophy.
A Defined Vision
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 record £30m signing last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal questioned Diarra’s surprising decision but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s standing as a gifted youth coach.
“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s capabilities 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 helping my game progress. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a realistic target this season.”
A Unified Environment
Outside, the chilly February wind and driving rain makes the region look as grim as it is often stereotyped. Inside, things are considerably warmer. The atmosphere is devoid of the type of tension notable at certain clubs where office workers are deliberately segregated from Premier League squads. Diarra describes the environment as “very organic” and commends Le Bris’s role in its formation.
“The coach always says to us that we have a familial bond here and we all support each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the organisation, discipline and immense effort underpinning Sunderland’s defensive organization are a proof of the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his engine room players complete licence to be creative and swap roles.
“The coach sets his tactics out within a framework 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 is empowering. That freedom is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a really big player and a fantastic example.”
Path and Settlement
Diarra is using a French interpreter but his English has advanced to the point where he can understand most questions. He is now focusing on acquiring the vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third language. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in Guédiawaye near the Senegalese capital.
His precocious maturity helped him deal with the disappointment of needing groin surgery followed by four months out of action last autumn. “Being injured so soon after arriving here was disheartening, 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 poignant reunion 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.”
Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I've settled very well,” he says. “I feel really comfortable here.”
