Had Sunderland failed to win promotion, Bellingham would undoubtedly have been away. That was certain. But it became clear as the end of the season approached that the highly-rated midfielder was also likely to depart even if the Black Cats went up.
And so exhaustive work took place behind the scenes to not only identify potential replacements but ensure that Sunderland were in position to strike a deal as early as possible in the summer window.
Bellingham was integral to the way Sunderland played last season so key for Regis Le Bris was getting a replacement in swiftly to give the new recruit as much time as possible to adapt to the requirements of the Black Cats’ demanding head coach.
It’s not difficult to see why Le Bris was so keen on the idea of Habib Diarra when the Frenchman sat down with the club’s recruitment chiefs.
Firstly, Diarra is versatile, crucial in the eyes of Le Bris. The 21-year-old is most comfortable playing as a right-sided No.8, but at Strasbourg he’s been used as a holding midfielder, a No.10 and is even capable of slotting in to play at right-back or right wing-back.
Le Bris obviously has a deep understanding of the French game and also believes Diarra has the quality and strengths to be able to quickly adapt to the English game.
And it’s impossible not to be impressed by the fact Diarra, despite only turning 21 at the start of this year, has already played more than 100 games and captained Strasbourg and is an 11-time Senegal international.
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“Habib is getting better and better and better,” said Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior earlier this year.
“And stronger and stronger and stronger in his understanding of the game and his fitness.
“I love Habib because he can be Mr. Angry sometimes, and he likes to have confrontations. He’s a winner – that’s why I made him captain. And he’s doing the club proud.
“He’s a good kid with a lot of potential and I’m delighted to be working with him. He’s a really, really positive thing in our season.”
Flavien Trésarrieu, football writer for L’Équipe, says eyebrows have been raised in France at the fee – understood to be around €31.5m – but there’s also an acceptance of the potential of the midfielder.
“There are questions he needs to answer – he is still very early in his career,” says Trésarrieu.
“But he’s a good player, a good guy and very respectful.
“He has a lot of quality to break the lines and is very comfortable travelling with the ball. He’s also able to repeat the effort at the same level from match to match.”
Le Bris, as we know, treasures consistency.
Trésarrieu adds: “Regis Le Bris is also very strong at developing players and I’m sure he has an eye on Diarra’s potential.”
Strasbourg, like Sunderland, place great emphasis on playing and developing young players.
“He is one of the more experienced players in a very, very young team,” says Trésarrieu.
“He won’t be captain at Sunderland and he still has a lot to learn, but he is someone who likes to talk. He’s a proud guy and very professional.”
Diarra was in-demand this summer, with Everton and Leeds United among the Premier League clubs to have shown an interest. He was on Sunderland’s radar long before he further enhanced his fast-growing reputation with a goal to cap a fine display for Senegal in the shock win over England at the City Ground in June.
French football expert Joachim Durand told Transfermarkt: “Unlike other young Ligue 1 players who leave very soon after their breakthrough season, Diarra waited.
“He has already played almost 100 games in Ligue 1. That experience could reduce the time needed for him to adapt to the Premier League, compared to others.”
“I wouldn’t say there’s one particular quality that stands out in Habib Diarra.
“But that’s precisely because he can do everything. He’s a box-to-box midfielder with an array of talents.”
That’s why Sunderland identified Diarra as their top target to replace Bellingham and that’s why they’re so thrilled to add the highly-rated midfielder to their Premier League squad.
