Habib Diarra: Where Sunderland's new signing will fit Régis Le Bris's plans and what he'll bring

Sunderland have confirmed their new club-record signing, with Habib Diarra joining from RC Strasbourg in a deal that could eventually rise to around £30 million.

Diarra has signed a five-year deal on Wearside and will link up with his new team mates later this month. Given his international commitments with Senegal earlier this summer, the club have given him an extended break after the deal was sealed.

So where will Diarra fit into Sunderland's side and what will he bring to the team? And why are Sunderland prepared to spend such a significant sum to bring him to the club? Here we take a closer look...

What position does Habib Diarra usually take up?

In short, it's complicated. From a Sunderland point of view, though, that's a major positive. Sunderland love hybrid midfielders who are capable of playing a variety of different roles within their 4-3-3 shape, and it's therefore no surprise that they've identified Diarra as a key target. Both Kristjaan Speakman and Régis Le Bris have explained previously that they prefer to manage smaller squads, where every player feels he isn't far from the starting XI. In their view, the competition for places lifts the level of training and also minimises the risks of disaffected players impacting the mood of the group.

As Speakman said earlier this month: "We've always advocated for a smaller squad in terms of day-to-day on the training ground. You can have a larger squad where some players are on loan to develop, but day to day we've always gone with quite a small group. Regis and I see that the same way, so we won't have an inflated squad. Having players who feel they're within touching distance of the pitch has been really important for us and that's been part of our success."

Versatile players are key to making that approach a success and Diarra is a clear fit on that front.

The Senegal international played in a wide variety of roles under Liam Rosenior last season, sometimes as one of two central midfielders, regularly as one of the two numbers tens in a 3-4-2-1 shape, and often as one of the two siting midfielders in that same formation. Diarra has at times played in other positions entirely within games, at one stage last season dropping into the right of a back three. He also has some experience playing at right back and right wing-back. In short, he'll give Le Bris valuable options both from the start and within games.

Still, from looking at his heatmap for last season (courtesy of Wyscout) we can clearly see that Diarra likes to take up a position on the right of the pitch. It's where he does his best work as a midfielder and when we dig a little further into his stats in the next section, we'll see that the most obvious fit in Sunderland's preferred system will be as the eight on the right of the 4-3-3. Expect him to pop up in a number of different positions over the course of the season, however.

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.

Diarra ranks lower for more traditional defensive and passing metrics, underlining that a lot of what he was asked to do last season was further up the pitch for the most part. Of course this is a reflection first and foremost of the role he has been asked to play for Strasbourg, and that he has played at full back in the past shows he has good strength and defensive capabilities. Sunderland might not necessarily want him to play in the same areas and roles that he did last season, but they have give us a good indication of what he can do at his best.

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.

These quotes from his former boss Rosenior, shortly after he made his 100th appearance, sum that up well.

Rosenior said: "At his age? To play 100 games for this club? A club that he’s been at since he was 14 years old? A club that he loves? For him to be captain at his age says a lot about his character and mentality. I think he’s going to have an amazing career. He’s been magnificent in my time working with him and it was nice to see him with his family celebrating a really special moment.”

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.

Your next Sunderland read: Sunderland facing significant late competition for Marcin Bulka transfer