Sunderland’s struggling player has become their biggest flop since Ndong

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris has been questioned about his position in recent days after suggestions he could be replaced at the end of the season.

Football FanCast reports that Thomas Frank is one of the managers being considered should the team decide to make a change at the Stadium of Light.

Speculation over his future on Wearside can only grow after the form of the last two Premier League defeats, scoring nine goals against Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.

The 5-0 loss to Forest in front of their fans at the Stadium of Light was not very good, as they were 4-0 down before the break, and recent performances could cast doubt on his future.

However, Sunderland must hold fire and keep the French head coach locked in the summer transfer window and the start of the 2026/27 campaign.

Why Sunderland shouldn’t sack Regis Le Bris

Le Bris should not be sacked from Sunderland as he has done a fantastic job on Wearside and deserves the chance to turn things around next season.

He took the club from mid-table in the Championship to survival in the Premier League, finishing higher than the two teams that finished above them in the second tier, and recent results should not take away that success.

In fact, it has only been two games since the Black Cats won back-to-back games in the top flight, beating Newcastle United 2-1 in the derby and beating Spurs 1-0.

Le Bris should also be given another summer transfer window to retool the squad for next season as several of this season’s signings have yet to materialise.

When Sunderland were last relegated in the 2016/17 campaign, poor recruitment led to the club’s downfall. Didier Ndong joined for a club record fee of £13.6m and has struggled in the middle of the park during their relegation season.

Sunderland have made their worst signing since Didier Ndong

In the 2016/17 Premier League season, the Gabonese player scored one goal, failed to assist, and lost 51% of his players in midfield for the Black Cats.

The midfielder then made 18 appearances in the Championship the following year before signing on loan for Watford and eventually being released in the summer of 2018.

Now, Habib Diarra is in danger of following the same path as Ndong because his performances did not match the money paid by the club last summer.

Sunderland paid a club record £27m to sign the midfielder from Strasbourg and didn’t offer much to the team either in the middle or off the park.

He’s had a poor xG, creating just five chances in 17 games, and averaging less than one tackle a game. On top of that, he has lost most of his matches in the Premier League.

Like Ndong in the 2016/17 campaign, Diarra has struggled to cope in the English top flight, and has not made up for it with impressive contributions at the other end of the pitch.

Journalist and Sunderland fan Josh Bunting recently said the midfielder “to force the issue” and that he should be removed from the team because he is “obviously struggling for form” at the Black Cats.

It’s hard to disagree with that assessment after the club conceded eight goals in his 155 minutes on the pitch against Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the last two games, while netting just one goal in that time.

Diarra’s season at the Stadium of Light is far from over and there is no need to panic yet, but next season will be huge for his development as the midfielder must show that he has learned from what happened this year.

If the Senegalese continues to struggle and look out of place physically and technically in the Premier League at Le Bris, then the club’s record signing could be remembered as badly as Ndong.

His struggles are another reason why Le Bris should be given more time in the summer to strengthen his squad, provide more competition and add more quality to that area of ​​the pitch.

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