Alou Diarra could soon be lining up in the colours of Brighton & Hove Albion, as Sami Hyypia considers offering him a contract.
The 33-year-old played alongside the Seagulls manager when they were together at Liverpool ,but he has been without a club since July 2014, when his deal at West Ham United was terminated by mutual consent. Diarra has now linked up with Brighton for a training spell, during which he will hope to persuade Hyypia that he is capable o f adding some quality to his midfield.
“He hasn’t got a club at the moment and when I heard that I immediately invited him here,” said Hyypia. “I gave him an opportunity to train with us and at the same time we can have a look at how he is. He has trained with a personal trainer but training on your own is not the same as training with the team. We will see what happens. We need a midfield player. If he is the one, we shall see.”
Including loan spells, Diarra has been tied to no fewer than 11 clubs. Although he didn’t make the grade at Anfield, he has had success in his homeland of France where he has most notably represented Lens, Lyon and Bordeaux. He has also earned international recognition for Les Bleus, earning 44 caps, whilst playing in the 2006 and 2010 World Cup Finals, captaining them for a match in the latter.
Brighton could certainly do with a little extra at the moment, as their poor form continues. Hyypia’s team are in the midst of a five-game winless run, which includes three successive defeats. Indeed, they have won just one of their last 17 league games, and this run leaves them third-bottom of the table and three points adrift of safety as they travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Considering their currently plight, surely Diarra is worth taking a punt on? Let us know what you think by joining in with the discussion below.
