Transfer Rumours Summer Transfer window

Believe man

 

Don't trust SKY, they're Mag sympathisers and will do anything they can to **** us up.

 

Pals just sand a Bulka chant down the phone to the tune of ‘Cococabana’ and it was funny as ****.

He thinks we’ve got him. He has no inside knowledge.

 

A message to Bulka

 

Burnley have that Tchaouna in for a medical this week, 15million quid seems a lot for his current level.

 

Ageist

 

This is turning into the liveliest window we have had in a long long time.

 

Sexist

Apologies Bucky marra

 

To be fair 5 year olds are better at making computers function than I can. I can’t even work out the remote control for the telly

 

Caught up the thread now. So apart from some lad with a tiny following saying Bulka chooses us, there’s nothing more to report?

 

indeed. nothing at all today other then the guardian rehashing we're in for Cresswell

 

Its Bulka’s son man right he knows….

 

I posted this before mate from sky sports

 

Several links a day. And looking g like having 3 or 4 in before they even report back!

Have the club ever been so organised and active so early?

 

I was going to leave this until a bit later but I’ll tell the Polish lad I work with to have a word with Bulka

 

Had a look at this Neom or whatever it’s called in Saudi.

What a cesspit. The stadium (if you can call it that) looks non-league standard.

I’d expect (more hope) that when Bulka’s agent informed him of that offer, Bulka would have responded telling his agent to **** off - regardless of the tax-free wages.

 

What are Diarra's key strengths as a player?



Watching Diarra's clips from RC Strasbourg last season, they show a midfielder very adept at breaking into the final third and making things happen. He combines well with the full backs and the wingers, capable of making both overlapping and underlapping runs.

Wyscout ranked him as the eighth best cental midfielder in Ligue 1 last season on their index, statistically excelling for assists, key passes completed and accurate forward passes. If we dig a little deeper via stats website FBref, we can build that picture even further. Diarra averaged 0.17 expected assists per 90 minutes last season, better than 88% of central midfielders in Europe's top five divisions. He also ranked better than 88% of midfielders from progressive carries, carrying the ball into the opposition penalty box more than 92% of midfielders across the top five divisions. He also ranked very highly for passes and crosses into the opposition penalty box, again underlining his ability to make things happen out on the right flank in particular. Diarra is clearly very strong at receiving the ball and driving into dangerous areas, and so looks a very good fit for Le Bris's counterattacking and counterpressing style.

One of Diarra's most interesting statistics is that he received more progressive passes per 90 than 92% of central midfielders in the top five divisions, again highlighting his knack for taking up advanced positions on the pitch.

So why are Sunderland spending such a significant fee on him?

Diarra is a good example of Sunderland's strategy this summer. They recognise the jump to Premier League level from the Championship, and so want players with top-tier experience who have a good chance of going straight into the team and hitting the ground running. Diarra is already very experienced player who has captained Strasbourg last season, but still has significant room to grow

Diarra's first boss at Strasbourg Julien Stéphan, who has just been appointed by QPR, was quoted in L'Equipe over the weekend praising Diarra's versatility, character and determination, noting that his box-to-box style could be perfect for the Premier League.

Sunderland feel his success in a league that is increasingly renowned for its speed and athleticism (Enzo Le Fée told The Echo earlier this year that he found French football to be more physical from his experience here so far) will give him a good chance in the Premier League. But crucially, his age and experience mean he has significant resale value moving forward regardless. That mitigates the risk of such an expensive signing.


How will this impact Sunderland's future transfer plans for the midfield positions?


Diarra's arrival will clearly significantly bolster Sunderland's midfield options, though it may be that they aren't done yet.

While Diarra's ball-carrying abilities mean he will able to replicate much of what Jobe Bellingham did in transition last season, there are a lot of differences between the two. Bellingham got through a lot more work defensively, as we can see by comparing their statistics on FBref. Bellingham averaged 1.85 tackles per 90 minutes to Diarra's 0.84, and 1.44 blocks per 90 to 0.54. 0.77 interceptions to 0.5, and 2.36 clearances to 1.76. Diarra's versatility demonstrates that he is able to learn and adapt so it might well be that these areas of his game develop and change depending on the role Sunderland give him, but at this stage it remains very possible that the club will seek another midfielder who gets through more work in front of the defence. With Le Fée and Chris Rigg already in the squad, the club will once Diarra arrives boast real talent when it comes to unlocking opposition defences and making things happen in the final third. It's an exciting signing and it is clear that Diarra will bring energy and dynamism both in and out of possession.

 

What happened to Baboushka? Is it Cococabulka now?

 

Sky sports are normally last to the party on news - feel like this just Keiths update from a day or two ago