Formal or informal? It reveals much about the young Senegalese star that his delight at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the first team was mixed with anxiety over the two distinct words for “you.”
Would addressing new, senior teammates by using “tu” be seen as disrespectful? In the end, the young midfielder played safe and chose the more formal “vous”. Cue widespread amusement from the veterans who instructed him not to be so silly; he was one of them 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.’ England's top flight 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 settled in an office at the club's training ground detailing why he ignored overtures from, among others, several top European clubs. His natural politeness remains but it is apparent that the 22-year-old 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 holding an Africa Cup of Nations winners’ medal.
A Defined Vision
Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the first half of the domestic season healed, Diarra is on a mission to show exactly 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 the manager's standing as a talented youth coach.
“It came as no shock by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Playing against 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 first objective is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a realistic target this season.”
A Family Atmosphere
Outside, the cold winter gusts and driving rain makes the region look as bleak as it is often stereotyped. Inside, things are much more welcoming. The environment is devoid of the type of tension notable at certain clubs where office workers are kept apart from Premier League squads. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” and commends Le Bris’s role in its creation.
“Our manager repeatedly states 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.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the structure, rigor and immense effort underpinning 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 use their initiative. 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 prefers to be deployed 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 superb role model.”
Path and Settlement
Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has progressed to the point where he can understand most questions. He is now concentrating on acquiring the vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third language. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up in Guédiawaye near Dakar.
His early maturity helped him deal with the disappointment of needing an operation followed by four months out of action last autumn. “Being injured 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 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 fills me with pride to play for them.”
Comparable feelings apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”
