Sunderland in talks to sign £10m star who’d be a big Diarra upgrade

Sunderland broke the bank last summer when they swooped to sign central midfielder Habib Diarra from Strasbourg for a club-record fee of £27m.

The Senegal international was signed for £6m more than the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history, Simon Adingra for £21m, but he has not lived up to his price tag this season.

Diarra, who came off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Wolves last weekend, has only scored two goals from 3.29 xG across 18 appearances in the Premier League for the Black Cats.

The 22-year-old talent has also struggled to make an impact out of possession for Sunderland, losing 54% of his ground duels and 57% of his aerial duels in the division.

He is currently averaging 0.8 tackles and 0.2 interceptions per game in the Premier League for Regis Le Bris, which shows that the midfielder is rarely making a big contribution defensively.

Sunderland make approach to sign German central midfielder

Diarra’s lack of consistency in the final third and his struggles off the ball could see him lose his place in the starting XI ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

The Black Cats are already making moves behind the scenes to sign another in his position, and are reportedly keen on a star who could be an upgrade on him in midfield.

According to Sky Germany, via Sport WitnessSunderland are one of a number of clubs interested in a deal to sign Schalke central midfielder Soufiane El-Faouzi in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Black Cats have made an approach to enquire about a move for the German star, entering talks about what a deal could look like in the off-season.

It adds, though, that Scottish giants Celtic and Premier League rivals Brentford have also been in talks with Schalke to enquire about a swoop for his services.

Sky Deutschland also reveals that the 2. Bundesliga champions value the 23-year-old at a price of around £10m, which would not be breaking the bank for Sunderland.

How Soufiane El-Faouzi would be an upgrade on Habib Diarra for Sunderland

The Black Cats could improve their midfield by beating Celtic and Brentford to the signing of El-Faouzi because his form this season suggests that he would be an upgrade on Diarra.

The German starlet could offer significantly more to the team as a creative threat if he can carry his form over to the Premier League, as he has created 11 more ‘big chances’ and over ten times as much xA this season.

These statistics suggest that El-Faouzi, who has also scored two goals in the 2. Bundesliga, is a magician with the ball at his feet because he can consistently unlock opposition defences with moments of magic, which Diarra has been unable to do.

As aforementioned, the £27m Sunderland flop has also struggled out of possession in the Premier League this season, averaging less than one tackle a game and losing the majority of his duels on the ground and in the air.

El-Faouzi, meanwhile, is averaging a whopping 3.0 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game in the 2. Bundesliga, whilst he has also won 54% of his ground duels in the German second tier.

The 23-year-old talent could offer much more to Sunderland out of possession than Diarra by breaking up more opposition attacks with tackles, interceptions, and duels won in the middle of the park.

El-Faouzi has not been tested in one of Europe’s major leagues, which means that it would be a risk for the Black Cats, but his form for Schalke shows that the potential is there for him to be an excellent signing for Le Bris.

That is why the club should push to win the race for the Schalke star when the summer transfer window officially opens for business next month, as he could improve the squad and add more creativity and defensive quality to the midfield ranks.