Habib Diarra

Diarra carries the ball through midfield rather than simply recycling possession sideways, covering ground with the ball at his feet in a way few of his positional rivals manage. He picks out runners breaking into the box with real regularity, arriving into those same advanced areas himself often enough to look like a hybrid attacker rather than a conventional central midfielder. Sunderland built their midfield around exactly that quality, using him to connect defence to attack quickly.

The obvious tension is what he offers without the ball, since his tackling numbers lag well behind his progressive passing and carrying. A midfielder this eager to drive forward can leave gaps behind him that a sharper opponent will look to exploit. Whether Sunderland pair him with a more defensively minded partner or simply ask him to cover both jobs will shape his season.