Tom is an experienced football journalist at Football FanCast with over five years of experience covering breaking news, opinion features and analysis across English football. His work spans the Premier League, EFL and non-league football, combining news reporting with in-depth features on the biggest stories in the game.  

Throughout his career, Tom has contributed to publications including The Non-League Paper, Crawley Observer, Sussex Express and The Redmen TV, producing news, features and exclusive interviews. He has also covered events including the National League South play-off final, Formula E's London E-Prix and matches involving Crawley Town and Brighton & Hove Albion's Under-21s.
 

At Football FanCast, Tom has interviewed prominent football figures including Ally McCoist, Philippe Senderos and Chris Waddle. His journalism combines a broad understanding of the game with an interest in exploring the issues affecting clubs, players and supporters at every level.

It may not have seemed like it at the time, but all the signs of second-season syndrome were there for Sunderland in the summer. They convinced themselves that their place in the Premier League was already set in stone after stunning the rest of the division with Europa League qualification.

It was hard not to be convinced by them, either. They made it look easy at times. But the first signs appeared in the summer, when the Black Cats decided against a busy window - welcoming only six players and spending just £66m one year after splashing out around £200m on arrivals.

A Europa League party has since turned into the ultimate hangover, which may yet cost Regis Le Bris his job if things do not change sooner rather than later.

Sat bottom of the Premier League, having just lost to newly-promoted Coventry City, the last thing that Le Bris needs is more injury news. The manager has already been without Daniel Ballard and Brian Brobbey at times this season, and those absences have proved costly.

Now, however, he must cope without Habib Diarra. The midfielder has endured his fair share of injuries since arriving last summer and is now set to miss the next six weeks through a muscle injury.

It's a major blow for Le Bris, who was beginning to see the £27m man pick up some consistent minutes for the first time since arriving. The hope was that he would become the player that Sunderland splashed out on. Instead, the reality is that the big-money star is now sidelined for the third time in just over 12 months.

As things stand, Diarra is expected to miss as many as ten games in the next six weeks in a run which will see Sunderland square off against three of the classic top six, as well as against Newcastle in the Tyne-Wear derby and AC Milan at the San Siro. It is a decisive run for Le Bris and he'll be without a key figure.

If the Frenchman is to stand any chance of turning things around ahead of such a tough run, then he must replace the midfielder with another star.

How Sunderland can solve Diarra blow

Sunderland were at their best in midfield last season. Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki formed an incredibly impressive partnership. So much so that there was talk of the former leaving for Chelsea and interest in the latter from Manchester United. That was the level they were operating at.

One season later, however, they look like a partnership which needs breaking apart. Xhaka has particularly felt the brunt of those on Wearside.

The 34-year-old is suddenly showing his age, covering less distance and making fewer sprints per 90 minutes. He's gone from the star of the show to a big problem for Le Bris and one he must solve by starting Jules Ahoka.

In many ways, the former Royal Antwerp star was signed for this exact scenario. Sunderland would have been well aware how quickly Xhaka's levels could drop, but it's up to Le Bris to now start Ahoka - especially now Diarra is injured.

The latter's injury, combined with Xhaka's poor form, presents Sunderland with the perfect opportunity to hand their £9m man his first real run in the side. They must grab hold of it.

Since arriving from Royal Antwerp, Ahoka has played just 25 minutes of Premier League football. This is despite the fact that he stole the show in Belgium at the start of the campaign and despite the fact that Xhaka's performances have plummeted.

If Le Bris has been looking for an excuse to form a new midfield partnership, then Diarra's injury should finally be the one that he is looking for.

Ahoka can turn a dying duo into a lively midfield ready to turn Sunderland's early season slump on its head.