PLAYER PROFILE

Lassana Diarra

Position: Midfield

Height: 5'8

Weight: 10st 10lbs

Date of Birth: 1985-03-10 Paris, France

Lassana Diarra

Young French midfielder Lassana Diarra joined Chelsea in July 2005 from Le Havre after impressing Jose Mourinho when he joined the Blues in pre-season training for a week.

He made his debut as a substitute in Chelsea's 4-0 win over Real Betis in the Champions League in October 2005, and was handed two starts by Mourinho in their FA Cup run in early 2006, as well as making a handful of substitute appearances in the Barclays Premiership.

He continued his role as a utility player in 06/07, but was sold to Arsenal in August 2007. However, he struggled to make an impact at the Emirates in a midfield packed with talent and only stayed until January 2008 when he moved on again, this time to Portsmouth.