Sunderland could beat Bournemouth to sign a “monster” £17m Diarra upgrade

Despite a phenomenal return to the Premier League this season, Sunderland’s 5-0 thrashing against Nottingham Forest last weekend will be a stark reminder of the danger the division brings.

With just four games remaining this term, the Black Cats still have a slight chance of securing European football, with no threat of relegation despite many tipping them to go straight back down.

Régis Le Bris has masterminded the side into a tricky opponent to beat, but he and the rest of his staff will be mindful of the threat that comes with second-season syndrome.

As a result, he will no doubt demand added reinforcements from the board to help him in his case of reaffirming the club’s top-flight status for another year.

However, departures and changes will certainly be needed to accommodate for any new summer arrivals, with one player in particular at risk amid his recent struggles.

The stats behind Habib Diarra’s recent struggles

After joining for a reported £27m from Strasbourg during the last summer window, huge expectations were placed on midfielder Habib Diarra to lead Sunderland to survival.

The Senegalese international looked as though during the early stages of the season that he was up to the task – subsequently being a shining light at the heart of Le Bris’ side.

Whilst he has three combined goals and assists this term – his recent showings have highlighted some weaknesses to his performance, leading to criticism from the supporters.

He featured for just 65 minutes of the defeat to Forest at the Stadium of Light last weekend, with his stats from the clash highlighting how poor he was for the Black Cats.

Diarra was outclassed by the likes of Elliot Anderson and Ibrahim Sangare, which resulted in the big-money addition only four of the 12 duels he entered – a success rate of just 33%.

He also failed to complete any tackles against Vitor Pereira’s men that night, whilst being dribbled past twice and committing a foul – leading to his yellow card.

The signing who could replace Diarra at Sunderland

There’s no denying that on the whole this campaign, Diarra has been a good buy for Sunderland, but his recent showings have no doubt led to cause for concern ahead of next year.

Granit Xhaka appears to be nail down one of the starting midfield roles since his own summer transfer, but there’s certainly room for added reinforcements this summer.

Dan Neil is almost certain to depart his boyhood club at the end of June, which would leave Xhaka, Diarra and Noah Sadiki as the only three senior central midfield options.

However, the latter of the aforementioned trio has also been touted with a move away from Wearside, which could hand Le Bris an even bigger task in the transfer window.

Despite the market not opening until the beginning of June, the Black Cats appear to already be doing their due diligence on a number of possible transfer targets.

The midfield area is almost certain to be strengthened, which could see Napoli star Frank Anguissa completed a return back to the Premier League.

The 30-year-old, who previously played for Fulham, has found minutes hard to come by in Serie A this term, as seen by his measly tally of just 14 starts out of a possible 34.

As a result, it’s been reported that Sunderland and Bournemouth are just one of many sides to have shown interest in the player ahead of the upcoming window with the view to making an offer.

Reportedly valued at around £17m, any deal for the Cameroonian international should see him take Diarra’s place in the starting eleven, with his stats from the season blowing the current Black Cats star’s out of the water.

Anguissa, who’s been dubbed a “monster” by analyst Raj Chohan, has registered five combined goals and assists this season – making him a bigger threat for Le Bris side in forward areas.

He’s also been a composed presence in Italy in recent months, completing 86% of his passes – a tally higher than 90% of players in the same position throughout 2025/26.

However, out of possession, the Napoli star has been phenomenal, subsequently winning 2.4 of his aerial battles per 90, whilst also achieving a 59% success rate.

Just like in possession, the aforementioned stats are better than those produced by Diarra, further demonstrating why he would be an upgrade on the Senegalese star.

Whilst it’s unclear how much a deal for the Napoli ace would cost this summer, his experience and quality could make him the perfect partner for Xhaka at the base of the midfield.

As for Diarra, he will certainly need to produce the goods between now and the start of the 2026/27 campaign to avoid losing his starting role to the Cameroonian.