Noah Sadiki: Where Sunderland's potential new signing will fit Régis Le Bris's plans and what he'll bring

Sunderland are closing in another transfer addition after agreeing a €20 million package to sign Noah Sadiki from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

Sadiki was undergoing a medical on Wednesday afternoon and could soon join Habib Diarra in bolstering the club's ranks ahead of their return to the Premier League. So who is Sadiki, where would he fit into the Sunderland team and what are his key strengths as a player? Here we bring you up to speed...

Who is Noah Sadiki?

Sadiki is a versatile midfielder who has enjoyed a rapid rise in the Belgian Pro League over the last couple of seasons. 20 years old, he initially broke through under Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht before moving to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, where Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom is a significant investor. He has played for two seasons at the club and has become a mainstay at the club, winning the Belgian Cup in the 2023/24 season and the title this past season. He was also named in the Pro League team of the year last season.

He has had significant transfer interest in the past, with Kompany keen at one stage to bring him to Burnley as a younger player during his time at the club. There was also interest from Ligue 1 side Lyon last season, while there has reportedly been more recent interest from Wolfsburg, Leeds United and Brentford. Sunderland's swift move to meet the Belgian club's asking price means they are now expected to win the race for his signature.

Sadiki fits the profile for Sunderland this summer in that he is a young player with a lot of future development ahead of him, but one who already has a significant amount of experience in top-tier football. He is also a full international who represents DR Congo.

What position does he take up and what are his key strengths?

Sadiki is a versatile player who has played at full back on occasions earlier in his career, but primarily he is a central midfielder. For the vast majority of last season Royale Union Saint-Gilloise deployed a variation of systems with three central defenders, and Sadiki for the most part took up one of the midfield positions in front of those defenders. He appears comfortable in and as played on both sides of he pitch, but primarily Saint-Gilloise deployed him on the left of their central midfield for the most part.

Watching Sadiki's clips on Wyscout, it is clear that he is a player who loves to get involved in the final third of the pitch. More of an eight than a traditional holding midfielder, he likes to dribble and carry the ball into the final third. It's also clear that he loves to press and apply pressure on the opposition midfielders and defenders.

We can build this picture further by looking at Sadiki's statistics from stats website FBRef. Most of the areas where Sadiki excels against central midfielders from similar divisions are in forward areas. He was in the top 14% of central midfielders for progressive carries, the top 12% for expected assists, the top 22% for key passes and the top 10% for through balls. Most impressive are his statistics as a ball-carrying midfielder. Sadiki was in the top 8% for total distance carried in possession when compared with other central midfielders in similar divisions, the top 3% for carries into the final third and the top 6% for carries into the opposition penalty box. He also ranks well, albeit not quite as strongly, for blocks and interceptions. He also ranked very highly for tackles in the opposition third, again underlining his preference for being involved in the game high up the pitch.

How does he compare and differ to Habib Diarra?

There are definite similarities between the two, who have both for the most part played as relatively attacking eights for their previous teams. However, comparing the two through Wyscout shows that Sadiki is a slightly more defensive-minded player, getting through more defensive actions per 90 minutes (7.6) than Diarra (5.4). The reverse is true of successful attacking actions, with Diarra (2.73) to Sadiki (1.52). Diarra holds the edge when it comes to forward runs and passing in the final third, though these are all categories where Sadiki generally performs well. The pair would clearly be able to play in the same midfield, and it will be interesting to see whether Régis Le Bris looks to develop the defensive attributes of one or both.

Both already have a lot of top-tier experience, and boast a versatile skillset that means they can still progress a lot and really define their preferred position and role on the pitch in the months and years to come.

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