Vous or Tu? It speaks volumes about the young Senegalese star that his elation at being elevated from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the first team was accompanied by anxiety over the two French words for “you.”
Was it appropriate to address new, older teammates by using “tu” be seen as disrespectful? Ultimately, the young midfielder opted for caution and chose the more formal “vous”. Cue wholesale laughter from the older players who instructed him not to be so ridiculous; he was one of them 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 goal of mine and the coach outlined for me a well-defined and appealing project.”
Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is sitting 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 evident that the 22-year-old Senegal international and uncertainty are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the self-assurance suited to a player who led Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an Africa Cup of Nations championship trophy.
A Defined Vision
Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the opening months of the domestic season resolved, 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 surprising decision but he knew all about the manager's standing as a talented youth coach.
“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s capabilities because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I realised he was very good, very strong tactically. He’s someone I know is aiding my development. And although our primary aim 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 the region look as bleak as it is often depicted. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The environment is devoid of the type of tension found in certain clubs where administrative staff are deliberately segregated from first-team players. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” and praises 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.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the structure, rigor and sheer hard yards supporting Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a proof of the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his midfielders 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 prefers to be deployed as a box-to-box No 8. “During matches that feels good. That freedom is so important. Our captain, Granit, guides us a lot. He’s a massive influence and a fantastic example.”
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 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 Guédiawaye near the Senegalese capital.
His early maturity helped him combat the frustration of needing an operation followed by four months on the sidelines last autumn. “Being injured so soon after arriving here was disheartening, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to handle the situation.”
Diarra is now anticipating playing in this summer’s World Cup. 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 inner feeling prevailed,” says Diarra. “I have no remorse. I was born in Senegal; it fills me with pride to play for them.”
Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I've settled very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”
