Habib Diarra excited Leeds United fans on Tuesday night with his performance for Senegal against England at the City Ground and of course, his goal, as Senegal beat Thomas Tuchel’s side 3-1.
Leeds fans have urged The 49ers and Adam Underwood to sign Diarra after watching him shine in a Senegal shirt, only 24 hours after reports emerged that Leeds had tabled a £22m bid for the midfielder.
Diarra has been immense over the last 12 months. Having broken into the Strasbourg side ahead of the 2022-23 season, Diarra has since been first choice for his boyhood side and is now club captain.
This season, he starred under Liam Rosenior and had a hand in nine goals as the Ligue 1 side almost qualified for Europe. But doubts over Leeds’ chances of doing a deal for Diarra are now creeping in.
Why Leeds chiefs are now concerned about the Diarra deal
There were doubts anyway. Strasbourg are delaying a reply to Leeds as they hope other clubs are tempted into a bid, following Leeds’ initial offer. They hope for a bidding war to increase the price paid.
Then, Premier League duo Everton and Brighton have been watching Diarra for months. Now, a report from Beren Cross on The Athletic states Leeds chiefs are growing concerned about their Diarra pursuit.
Cross reports that Leeds are worried about the direction of travel Strasbourg will take Diarra’s future in, and just how much Diarra will eventually go for as other clubs begin to show interest after Leeds’ bid.
Diarra is a player Leeds have lacked since Daniel Farke arrived
A box-to-box midfielder, Diarra’s stamina allows him to have an impact in both boxes without breaking sweat. These days, midfielders are either attacking players or holding midfielders – unable to do both.
But Diarra is a throwback to the old-fashioned midfielder, able to do both and would cope with playing in a 4-4-2 system. Yes, Ao Tanaka scored five goals last term, but they were from set-pieces or long distance.
Diarra will go beyond the striker, get into the box and try to score from open play, but have the energy and stamina to get back into midfield and defend the counter-attack. A no-brainer, if at all possible.
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