Why Sunderland are looking to sign a replacement for Habib Diarra

Sunderland were willing to splash the cash last summer after they won the Championship play-offs to earn promotion to the Premier League under Regis Le Bris.

The likes of Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele, Omar Alderete, and Brian Brobbey were all brought in and they played key roles in helping the team to finish seventh in the division.

Their most expensive signing of the summer, though, was a club-record £27m deal to sign Senegal international Habib Diarra from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.

The central midfielder produced four goals and five assists in all competitions for the French outfit in the 2024/25 campaign, but he did not have as much success on Wearside.

Why Sunderland need to replace Habib Diarra

Diarra was unable to live up to the hype that the mammoth price tag created, although what he was bought for was not his fault, as he struggled to make a consistent impact in the Premier League.

The midfield talent underperformed against his xG by 1.41 goals and recorded more assists than his xA suggested that he deserved, whilst he offered little to the side physically.

0.9 tackles and interceptions per game shows that he rarely made key contributions to win possession back for the team, whilst his success rate in duels on the ground and in the air shows that opposition players found it too easy to play against him.

Diarra, who scored both of his goals in one match against Burnley, did not look ready to be a consistent performer for the Black Cats in the middle of the park at Premier League level, as evidenced by his struggles both on and off the ball.

The 22-year-old prospect still has time on his side to develop and eventually prove his worth to Sunderland, but Le Bris needs quality options who are ready to deliver immediately in the meantime.

Sunderland eyeing Habib Diarra upgrade

Diarra could find himself on the bench as a rotational player, for example, if the club bring in a new midfielder to compete with him for his place in the side.

Wednesday’s printed edition of Italian paper Il Mattino reports that Sunderland are interested in a deal to sign Frank Zambo Anguissa from Napoli this summer.

The report claims that agents have informed the Italian giants that the Black Cats are willing to pursue a move for the 30-year-old talent before the end of the transfer window.

However, it adds that Napoli are currently demanding a fee of £13m for the former Fulham star, and Sunderland are not willing to spend that much on the experienced operator at this moment in time.

The club should now be pushing to meet the Italian side’s demands for the Cameroon international, because he could be a terrific addition to the squad as an upgrade on Diarra.

At the age of 30, Anguissa has been around the block and could hit the ground running as a player with plenty of experience in major European leagues, having played in Ligue 1, the Premier League, the Serie A, and La Liga for various clubs.

The physical midfielder outperformed Diarra at league level in the 2025/26 campaign by offering more to his side as an attacking threat and as a defensive force out of possession.

Anguissa could provide more defensive protection and physicality than the Senegal international in the middle of the park for Le Bris, making the Black Cats harder to break down, both in the Premier League and in any difficult Europa League clashes.

Journalist Zach Lowy once described him as “one of the most underrated midfielders in Europe“, and it still rings true today because he is overshadowed by Scott McTominay’s popularity in Naples.

In the 2024/25 campaign, Anguissa scored six goals, provided four assists, and averaged 2.3 tackles and interceptions per match to help Napoli to win the Serie A, yet McTominay took the plaudits for his 12-goal haul from midfield.

His excellent work in the middle of the park is perhaps left unrecognised in some circles because of how much attention McTominay receives, rightly, for his performances.

The Napoli powerhouse is an underrated midfield talent who would provide quality, experience, and reliability for Le Bris; three things that Diarra has yet to offer in the Premier League.