Sunderland

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We asked you for your reactions to the news Sunderland have signed Habib Diarra from Strasbourg for a club record fee reported to be £30m.

Here's a selection of what you said about the midfielder:

Glyn: Looks a good signing on paper - young but experienced in Ligue 1. Are there some older hands who are going to be out of contract at Premier League clubs? Some bargains to be had?

Steve: The club has wasted the windfall fee received for Jobe Bellingham by spending it in its entirety on an undistinguished player who averages just one goal per 10 games.

Michael: We still need more experience in the side and squad. I would be happy if Jordan Henderson was brought back.

Paul: A great signing that shows the owners are serious about making us stronger from the off. I like the way business seems to get done without the usual is he, isn't he signing.

Leonard: What a signing indeed. Habib has it all. If we keep bringing in footballers of his calibre then I'm pretty sure we will survive in the Premier League.

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French football expert Baptiste Reynaud has talked up Sunderland's record signing Habib Diarra as a "good fit" for the club.

Senegal midfielder Diarra joined the Black Cats from Strasbourg on Tuesday for a reported £30m.

The 21-year-old made 31 appearances for Strasbourg last term, helping the club to finish seventh in Ligue 1 and secure European football for only the second time in 20 years.

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Reynaud, from Le Classique & Le Beau Jeu podcast, told BBC Radio Newcastle: "People should be excited. He is a full Senegalese international now.

"He's got the pedigree that makes it a very interesting signing. Also, the fact he's played for a club that's had its troubles and brushes with relegation makes him a good fit in the sense that he's used to adversity.

"What makes me particularly enthusiastic about it is he fits with the philosophy of Sunderland.

"He's played as an eight, as a 10, on the wing when necessary. At heart, he's a box-to-box midfielder, but he's also very versatile and played in a number of systems.

"He's a very adaptable player. He's young, very productive and experienced, and he's used to facing very different scenarios for his club.

"He's got resale value and strikes me as a very good signing for Sunderland."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Sunderland are interested in Chelsea's 19-year-old defender Ishe Samuels-Smith, but face competition from Rangers, Middlesbrough and Stoke City. (football.london), external

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Midfielder Habib Diarra says he will "fight for these colours" after completing a move to Sunderland.

The 21-year-old has joined from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg on a five-year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £30m, which would be a record signing for the Back Cats.

Diarra captained the French side throughout a successful 2024-25 campaign, which culminated in the club securing European football for only the second time in 20 years.

He made 31 appearances last term, scoring five times and registering four assists, while also surpassing 100 senior career games.

"I'm happy and excited to become a Black Cat and I can't wait to discover the Stadium of Light and its fans," the Senegal international told club media.

"Everyone saw last season's success and I guarantee that I'll give everything for this team and fight for these colours in the Premier League.

"I'm ready for this challenge and I can't wait to get started."

Diarra becomes the club's second signing of the summer as they look to bolster Regis Le Bris' squad ready for their Premier League return.

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman added: "Habib is an exciting talent, and we are delighted to welcome him to Sunderland AFC.

"At 21, he already has more than 100 senior appearances on his resume, and he's been a captain in one of Europe's elite leagues. This underlines his undoubted quality and immense potential, and it reflects our progress and ambition that we have secured a player of his calibre.

"Like Sunderland, Habib is ready for the Premier League, and we look forward to taking this exciting step with him."

What do you make of the new signing? Is he what Sunderland need? What else do they require this summer to be ready for the top flight?

Let us know

Nick Barnes
BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland commentator

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Sunderland appear to have pulled off a coup in signing the highly-regarded Senegalese international Habib Diarra, who made his national team debut in March last year.

He has come through the Strasbourg youth system. Last season under Liam Rosenior he made 30 appearances.

He has reportedly signed for a fee rising to 35m Euros - around £30.5m - for a five-year deal.

He's being seen as a replacement for Jobe Bellingham.

Send us your thoughts on the deal

Sunderland have offered Reinildo Mandava a two-year contract worth £65,000 a week following the 31-year-old Mozambique left-back's release by Atletico Madrid. (Guardian), external

Sunderland are among several Premier League clubs interested in Toulouse's 22-year-old England Under-21 centre-back Charlie Cresswell, who has an £18m release clause in his contract. (Sun), external

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Sunderland and Wolves are keen on Millwall defender Japhet Tanganga. The Lions are resigned to losing the 26-year-old this summer, though could sell him abroad - with clubs in Germany, France and Turkey interested - as his £1.2m release clause only applies to Premier League clubs. (TeamTalk, external)

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We asked for your views on former Sunderland player Martin Smith's top-five list of Black Cats hard men after Kevin Ball was handed top spot.

Here are some of your comments:

Lee: Bally was solid! Great leader and gent. Played against him in training for an under-16's Sunday League club match (his son was part of it). Five of us couldn't get the ball off him when we were messing around after bothering him to join in.

Sean: Kevin Ball was always going to be number one. He tackled someone on the halfway line during the derby with such force the ball hit our own bar! John Kay breaking his leg and paddling off his stretcher, and Gary Bennett's handling of David Speedie are real moments of Sunderland folklore too.

Mel: Raw meat Joe Bolton used to leave his bite on many good wingers, and pretty much anyone else that came near him.

Ian: Joe Bolton should be in the top five hardest players - a local lad who was left- back from 1972 to 1981. Absolutely as hard as nails.

Tom: Joe Bolton, left-back who played 300+ times for Sunderland over 10 years from 1972-3 was solid in the tackle and tough player for sure.

Chris: They were before Martin's time, but Billy Whitehurst and Mick Harford would be in my top five. I can verify what Martin says of Vinnie Jones. I was staying in a hotel in Guildford, at the bar having a pint before dinner when in walks Vinnie Jones. We got chatting and I asked him who was the hardest he had ever faced. Vinnie didn't know that I was a Mackem. He said a guy at Sunderland, Kevin Ball, I just burst out laughing.

Roger: Dave Watson must be on the list. Further back Len Ashurst used to put wingers on the gravel!

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Throughout Thursday, we have been revealing the players that ex-Sunderland attacker Martin Smith has picked as the Black Cats' all-time toughest tacklers.

And the top spot goes to...?

Well, in the former player's words: "There can only be one number one" - and that is former captain Kevin Ball.

"I think some of the hardest players in the country have said that he is the hardest player they have ever played against," Smith explained on BBC Radio Newcastle. "As soon as you mention hard men, it has to be Kevin Ball.

"I remember Vinnie Jones saying he was the hardest opponent he ever played against. It has been said many times that he trained the way he played, which was horrendous for us fair players!

"Unless you have been on the end of one of his tackles, it is hard to describe what it was like. It was like being hit by a cannonball. The force he could tackle with used to just send shivers through you."

So here is the final list of Sunderland's top five hard men, according to Smith:

1. Kevin Ball

2. John Kay

3. Gary Bennett

4. Lee Howey

5. Lee Cattermole

Do you agree with this list or is there someone else that ought to have been thrown into the mix?

Let us know here

Listen back to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

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Throughout Thursday, we are revealing who former Sunderland attacker Martin Smith has picked as the Black Cats' all-time toughest tacklers.

In third place, he has picked "stylish and classy" centre-back Gary Bennett, who made more than 350 appearances for the club during an 11-year stint.

"You would always find out about it if you got on the wrong side of him," Smith told BBC Radio Newcastle. "I spoke to somebody else who also played with him, just to confirm what I thought, and even they said he could handle himself.

"He could always stick his foot in. If you think back, as a centre-back, some of the players you were up coming up against were real handfuls.

"There were some proper centre-forwards that would stick their elbows in and stamp on your feet, but Bennett always stood up to that. He was just solid."

At number two, Smith has gone for another cult hero - the 'red and white tractor' John Kay.

"He got that nickname in a game against Leeds United," he explained. "I remember when Peter Haddock came off, Howard Wilkinson said it looked like he had been ran over by a tractor because of the stud marks down his chest.

"I always knew his reputation, so playing practice games against him was quite intimidating.

"I remember sticking a ball through his legs in a practice game once. He told me not to do it again but, thinking nothing of it, I did it again. He then told me he was going to break my legs and, the next time I had the ball, he absolutely wiped me out."

But who has Smith crowned as Sunderland's greatest 'hard man'?

Find out on BBC Sounds now - or come back to this page a little later today

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Throughout Thursday, we are going to be revealing who former Sunderland attacker Martin Smith has selected as the Black Cats' all-time toughest tacklers.

In fifth place is Lee Cattermole, who Smith says he was "a big fan of" and describes as being "the last of an era of real hard men" in football.

"He was playing when you could still get away with stuff that you just can't get away with now because of VAR," Smith told BBC Radio Newcastle. "He enjoyed the physical side of the game.

"He used to go round geeing up the team and, if the chips were down, he would still be there. He was just a proper captain. He loved pulling on the strip and he would always give everything.

"You always knew what you were getting from him."

Coming in at number four is Sunderland-born fan favourite Lee Howey, who Smith describes as "the big man".

"He was just a real solid fella," he explained. "He was given the nickname 'Lunge' because on training days, if the ball managed to get away from him, he would just lunge and take everything that was in front of him with him.

"He would run through brick walls for the team. He would put his head and feet where others wouldn't.

"I used to take corners and I knew that if I put the ball in an area, he would come hurtling towards it and would do everything he could to get to it.

"He was a horrible player to play against really, up front and at the back."

But who does Smith see as the greatest hard man?

Find out on BBC Sounds now - or come back to this page a little later today

Sunderland have held talks with Nice over a deal for 25-year-old Poland goalkeeper Marcin Bulka. (Fabrizio Romano), external

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Sunderland have asked Sassuolo about the availability of 26-year-old French winger Armand Lauriente. (ESPN), external

Watford midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze is wanted by Sunderland and fellow Premier League new boys Burnley, with Birmingham also keen on the 25-year-old Georgian midfielder, who is valued at about £5m. (Sunderland Echo), external

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The Tyne-Wear derby is back – and the North East is already bracing for one of English football's most fiercely contested rivalries.

Following the release of this season's Premier League fixtures, Sunderland will host Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light on 13 December, with the return game taking place at St James' Park on 21 March. These dates are now etched in the minds of supporters across the region.

Few matches stir the emotions quite like the Tyne-Wear derby. For some, it's about pride. For others, it's about history. But for everyone, it's a game that transcends the football pitch.

BBC Radio Newcastle's Newcastle United commentator Matthew Raisbeck said: "When I think of the North East derby, I think of passion, passion that both sets of fans have for their club and how much we get to experience that when the games are being played."

On the other side of the divide, Sunderland's matchday commentator Nick Barnes shared his own take - one that focuses on the emotional toll the derby can take on those involved.

He said: "In one sense, it's a fantastic occasion. In the other sense, it's a real headache, madness in the build-up to the game itself, with all the banter and social media goes bananas. The anxiety, anticipation and the tension and everything that goes with the atmosphere, it is a remarkable occasion."

Listen on BBC Sounds

Sunderland are keen on signing former Southampton defender Duje Caleta-Car from Lyon. The 28-year-old Croatia international played 13 times in the Premier League in the 2022-23 season. (Newcastle Chronicle), external

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Throughout Thursday, we have been counting down former Sunderland's defender Darren Williams' top five moments at the Stadium of Light.

And top spot goes to...?

The 4-1 win against Chelsea in December 1999, where Williams himself provided an assist for Niall Quinn's second goal.

"Number one, and this is going back to Peter Reed and Bobby Sexton, and Kevin Phillips - our great home win against Chelsea," he said.

"4-0 at halftime, and finished 4-1. But Kev's half volley was a fantastic strike. You know when Kev's about to shoot and his eyes light up. He knows what he's got to do.

"What a fantastic strike and a massive occasion at the Stadium of Light."

So, here are the top five moments at the Stadium of Light, according to Williams -

1. The 4-1 win against Chelsea in December 1999

2. Dan Ballard's goal against Coventry City in May 2025

3. Jermain Defoe's volley against Newcastle United in April 2015

4. The play-off semi-final win against Sheffield United in May 1998

5. Patrick Vieira's red card in Sunderland's win over Arsenal in 2000

How would you rank these five? Have a go over here

And did Williams miss anything? Tell us here

Listen back on BBC Sounds

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Throughout Thursday, we have been revealing the moments ex-Sunderland defender Darren Williams believes have been the best at the Stadium of Light.

At number three, he has chosen Jermain Defoe's exquisite volley to beat Newcastle United in 2015.

"I was at the game and he just caught it such a treat at the right time," Williams told BBC Radio Newcastle. "The trajectory of the volley was just perfect.

"I was out of my seat, and I was celebrating. It was one of those moments. That rivalry with Newcastle - you could feel the tension all game and it was always going to be tight.

"He was very emotional and all credit to him because it was a fantastic volley."

For second place, Williams wound the clock back only to last month for Dan Ballard's dramatic late goal against Coventry City in the semi-finals of the playoffs.

"I just had a funny feeling that we would get something off the corner," he explained.

"It was just a feeling, but I was halfway down the steps as he leapt in the air, and I thought he misjudged it. I still don't understand how he did it! He mistimed his jump and was coming down.

"You looked around, and there was limbs flying everywhere."

Who made number one?

Find out on BBC Sounds now - or come back a little later

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Throughout Thursday, we are revealing the moments former Sunderland defender Darren Williams are the best to have happened at the Stadium of Light.

He puts the sending off of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira in 2000 as his fifth favourite. It probably helped that Sunderland beat the Gunners 1-0 as well.

"He was a top player and a great guy, but I came on as a sub in the game," Williams told BBC Radio Newcastle. "We were 1-0 up and they were getting more momentum. I've been asked to go on and quieten down Vieira.

"I haven't done this intentionally, but there were a couple of shirt pulls from both sides and on this occasion, he's kind of got away from me and as I've had a little tug on his shirt to pull him back, he put his arm out and caught me right in the face.

"Obviously, I've gone down!"

In fourth place, Williams has marked the First Division play-off semi-final second leg against Sheffield United during the 1997-98 season where the hosts progressed to Wembley with a 2-0 win.

"It was basically when we came out," he remembered. "As we came out of the tunnel, we looked across to the far side - the East End, it literally lit up, and the noise and the volume was unbelievable.

"If you ran the tunnel into a wall, you'd have probably run straight at them because it gave such a massive lift."

For the full list, listen now on BBC Sounds - or come back to this page later.

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

All three newly promoted sides now know who they will face in the opening round of fixtures for the upcoming season.

Two of those three have landed home games, with Sunderland hosting West Ham United and Leeds United taking on Everton.

Burnley begin on the road with a trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Matchday one has often been a reality check for clubs finding their feet in the top flight. Throughout the entirety of the Premier League era, promoted teams have collectively won just 17 times from 92 matches (excluding three occasions on which they have faced each other) – a success rate of only 18.5%.

They have also conceded nearly twice as many goals as they have scored.

Which of Sunderland, Leeds or Burnley are most likely to buck that trend in 2025-26?

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Following the release of the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures, we asked you to have your say on how the schedule has fallen and where Sunderland's might be after 10 games.

Here are some of your comments:

Stu: On paper, a kind start to the season for the lads. Could have been much harder - that said, there are no easy games at this level. Would sense that Regis le Bris and the players will feel they can pick up a few early points in August and September to give them a strong foundation. Early points are key and will increase confidence going forward if they can get two or three wins under their belt before the difficult fixtures in the autumn come along.

Paul: At first glance, I'm happy with our opening fixtures and hope to get mid-table by the end of September. Was expecting an Ipswich 2024-25-like start but it is a lot kinder than that.

Alex: Pretty pleased with the fixtures. From the first six I think there's a good few that are realistically winnable. December will be brutal, but in a way it's not bad to get a run of hard games out of the way in a short period.

Freddie: Anything other than in the relegation zone for any of the promoted teams is a massive achievement. And if we are, I shouldn't think any Sunderland fan will be too bothered or surprised. And if anyone knows about daring regelation escapes and survival stories, it's Sunderland.

Hugh: Mid-table with 12 points.

Opta has ranked the difficulty of each top-flight team's first five Premier League fixtures of the 2025-26 season.

According to Opta's model, Manchester United have the hardest start, followed by their opening-weekend opponents Arsenal and then Bournemouth.

Aston Villa's first five games have been ranked the easiest, alongside Crystal Palace.

Take a look below to see where your side places...

Andrew Bassett
BBC Sport data analyst

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We have seen a lot of traffic to our fixtures pages already today.

So far, Leeds United are the fourth most visited club fixtures page on BBC Sport.

Only Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are ahead of the Whites.

Newly promoted Sunderland also catch the eye inside the top 10 - and in case you were wondering, they are behind Newcastle United.