Season › 2024-25 › News The Rumour Mill Everton 'interested' in Strasbourg midfielder Lyndon Lloyd | 30/07/2024 6comments | Jump to last Everton are said to be interested in signing Habib Diarra from Strasbrourg as they look to bolster their midfield options in the wake of Amadou Onana's departure for Aston Villa. According to L'Equipe (via GetFootballNews), the Blues have been tracking Diarra for months and could submit an opening bid in the coming days but are likely to meet resistance from the Ligue 1 club who resisted an approach from Rennes last year and have no intention of selling him this summer. Diarra is currently contracted to Strasbourg until 2028 but the Senegal international could force their hand if he agitates for a move. Everton sold Onana, another import from the French League, to Villa for an initial fee of £50m last week and have since added attacking midfielder Jesper Lindstrøm to their squad in a loan acquisition from Napoli. Article continues below video content In addition, central midfielder Tim Iroegbunam was acquired from Villa for £9m in June. Original Source: L'Equipe Reader Comments (6) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer () Rob Halligan 1 Posted 29/07/2024 at 22:18:59 Anyone got the lowdown on this player? Michael Lynch 2 Posted 29/07/2024 at 22:21:09 Well Rob, according to Wiki: "He is regarded as one of the best young players in Europe, who grew up admiring Tim Cahill and often dreams of playing for Sean Dyche."Looks like the lids have been editing Wiki again! Ian Bennett 3 Posted 29/07/2024 at 22:42:27 Rob 125 - very highly rated.Chelsea and Juve were linked with him last summer. Can play central and right wing by the clips.Senegal international - Gueye do your stuff. Dale Self 4 Posted 30/07/2024 at 00:58:26 Ian, I responded to what I now believe to have been a sarcastic post on the Lindstrom thread. You obviously do your research and can pick some proper players from a list. I apologize for my outburst. Mike Gaynes 5 Posted 30/07/2024 at 01:28:32 Found an article from a year ago. Don't know how credible the writer is, but he has certainly seen the kid play:Aston Villa and Wolves are the latest teams to have their names added to the list of suitors – a list which supposedly includes both Leeds United, Leicester City, Spurs, West Ham United, Crystal Palace and both Manchester clubs. And thats just the English clubs who are keen, although Diarra has said publicly that he “dreams” of the Premier League. There is set to be a serious bidding war for Diarras services this summer, and whoever wins the race will have landed a very promising young player indeed.Born in Senegal in 2004, he moved to France at a young age and has represented his adopted homeland at Under-16 and Under-19 level, breaking into the Strasbourg first team in 2022 during a campaign in which they finish sixth in Ligue 1, well above all expectations. This season has been tougher for his team – they sit not so far above the drop zone – but its been a strong personal campaign for Diarra, who has firmly established himself in the first team and gradually built up that lengthy list of admirers.A versatile midfielder, Diarra has mostly played for Strasbourg as either a right-sided midfielder or a creative central player – but hes also played on the left and as a deep-lying playmaker as well. He doesnt push too far up the field, preferring to receive the ball in midfield and carry it forward from there rather than looking to get in behind defenders.Hes a fine dribbler with excellent close control and an easy, graceful running style thats easy on the eye and helps keep defenders off him as he advances – but hes not freakishly fast, which may explain why he likes to take the ball from deep positions. Hes also a strong mid-range passer and spreads play quickly and effectively when hes playing in the centre of the park, and a wonderful crosser of the ball when he plays wide.Physically, hes strong and has a great centre of gravity, but isnt especially imposing at 510” and cant be regarded as any kind of midfield destroyer – he doesnt tend to press ferociously and while hes decent enough in the tackle, he doesnt turn the ball over too much. Hes a player you can give the ball to and expect something from, not someone who gets hold of the ball himself too often.Hes also not a prolific goalscorer, and while that long bomb against Troyes suggested a previously hidden talent, it was his first senior goal scored from outside the box – but having not scored for Strasbourg before April this year, hes since hit three goals in six games, so he may be learning to add a greater goal threat to his game as well.Hell also need to develop his game awareness to cut it at the very top level – he has a habit of not scanning well enough when he picks up the ball and can give it away softly by failing to spot an opponent who can take it off him or cut out a pass. His short-range passing stats are somewhat concerning for a midfielder, and he gives the ball away with short passes almost one time in five. Hes only 19, so a propensity towards cheap giveaways is understandable, but should serve as a warning that he is far from the finished article as it stands.The finished article could be something special, though – he carries the ball supremely well, has an eye for a defence-splitting pass and could be a superb link-up player between midfield and attack, especially if he starts scoring on a consistent basis. Its easier to imagine him remaining in the centre of the field rather than playing on a right, simply because his preferred deep starting positions sit awkwardly with modern tactical orthodoxy, but with the right coaching he could end up being a hugely versatile player as well, one who can effectively cover multiple positions for a club.Its hard to say who will win the race for Habibs signature at this stage – with so many sharks circling, a clear frontrunner is hard to discern – but he could be quite the player if he gets the right environment to work in, and gets the right advice to cover his current flaws. Hes wonderful to watch, and we cant wait to find out where he winds up. Eric Myles 6 Posted 30/07/2024 at 02:19:57 Hes also a strong mid-range passer and spreads play quickly and effectively.he doesnt turn the ball over too much. Hes a player you can give the ball to and expect something fromhe has a habit of not scanning well enough when he picks up the ball and can give it away softly by failing to spot an opponent who can take it off him or cut out a pass.Doesn't that third sentence contradict the other two? And then there's His short-range passing stats are somewhat concerning for a midfielder, and he gives the ball away with short passes almost one time in five.So at least he won't be titting around with possession passing to the defence. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. How to get rid of these ads and support TW Find out how to browse ad-free and support ToffeeWeb © ToffeeWeb