Sunderland's impressive season has certainly been one of the Premier League’s biggest talking points. A real driving force behind their success has undoubtedly been the signing of Granit Xhaka.
The former Arsenal captain was described as “the signing of the season” by Wayne Rooney back in December. He has certainly been a key member of Regis Le Bris’ side, taking on leadership roles as well as bringing masses of quality to the Black Cat’s midfield.
Xhaka-Sunderland
His quality has been needed, especially after losing Jobe Bellingham in the summer.
Why losing Bellingham was a blow for Sunderland
After playing a key role in getting the North Eastern side promoted at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, it was always going to be a blow to lose the ex-Birmingham City star. It got to the point where it seemed inevitable that he would leave the club.
Sunderland 's Jobe Bellingham in action
Indeed, Bellingham followed in his older brother Jude’s footsteps by joining Borussia Dortmund at the end of the campaign. He moved to Germany for £31m, and has four assists in 32 games for the Bundesliga giants so far.
His contributions in that famous Red and White shirt will not be forgotten for a long time by the Sunderland faithful. Bellingham played 90 games for the club, scoring and assisting 15 goals and, of course, helping them back to the Premier League.
jobe bellingham
The versatile midfielder, who was the 2024/25 Championship Young Player of the Season, brought so much technical quality to the midfield.
That, on top of his ability to impact the game in the final third, made him a huge asset for Le Bris’ side.
Sunderland needed to get his replacement right, and it certainly seems as though that was the case.
Sunderland’s new Jobe Bellingham
The 2025 summer transfer window was a significant time for Le Bris’ side. They made 15 signings, looking to enhance the quality of the squad and make it ready for the top flight, which, so far, is proving successful.
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One of the most exciting additions alongside Xhaka is 22-year-old Senegalese midfielder Habib Diarra.
He moved to the club from French side Strasbourg after impressing in Ligue 1, and despite missing a significant period due to injuries and national team duty, he’s been impressive in the middle of the park.
Habib-Diarra
So far this season, Diarra has played 10 games across all competitions for the Black Cats.
Seven of those appearances have seen him play 80 minutes or more, highlighting his importance, and he’s chipped in with two goals and one assist.
That goal-scoring ability is one of the midfielder’s best attributes. He chipped in with 11 goals for his former side, Strasbourg, and is part of the reason why football analyst Ben Mattinson called him a “very complete midfielder.”
As far as replacing Bellingham, they could have done a lot worse than Diarra. The pair are certainly similar, both being box-crashing midfielders who can operate as a number eight or 10. They are similar in age, too, with Diarra just two years older than 20-year-old Bellingham.
habib-diarra-sunderland
Interestingly, they were putting up similar underlying numbers last season, too.
For example, the ex-Strasbourg star averaged 1.8 touches in the opposition box, the same as Bellingham, and created 1 chance on average per 90 minutes, compared to the England under-21 international’s 1.1 chances created each game.
Diarra & Bellingham - 24/25 compared
Stat (per 90)
Goals and assists
Chances created
Forward passes
Ground duels won
Touches in opposition box
Stats from Transfermarkt
Now, the proverbial Bellingham replacement is Sunderland’s most valuable player, according to Transfermarkt. He is said to be worth £28m, more than any of his teammates. That certainly highlights his quality in this Black Cats side.
It was never going to be easy to lose a player with the ability of Bellingham. Yet, in Diarra, they’ve found the man who can step into his shoes, with his quality on show in just a few short months at the Stadium of Light, and reflected in his costly transfer value.
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