When Sunderand signed this jewel, they truly struck gold.
Sunderland, who have gone undefeated in their previous three games under Michael Beale, will be hoping to maintain this winning run in order to begin securing a playoff berth in the Championship.
Encouraged by Hull City’s defeat yesterday, Beale’s Black Cats easily defeated Plymouth Argyle. A flurry of goals in the second half saw the Wearside team finally cruise to a 3-1 victory, moving them up to sixth place in the standings.
The reinvigorated promotion prospects were even more upbeat as a result of the defense’s outstanding performance, which featured Daniel Ballard, an ex-Arsenal youth product who impressed Sunderland supporters by consistently playing well in the second division.
The signing of Daniel Ballard
Ballard moved to Wearside in 2022 for an undisclosed fee; the speculated amount was roughly £2 million. Since then, he has never looked back, leaving the Emirates Stadium for better opportunities.
The 24-year-old, who was frequently loaned out to the EFL while still trying to break through at Arsenal, even scored twice from the center of defense during loan at League One’s Blackpool. Now, however, Ballard has found a new place to call home in Sunderland, after leaving his boyhood Gunners behind.
Ballard’s acquisition has shown out to be a wise move, as the 6′ 2″ defender is now a reliable first-team member at the Stadium of Light when he isn’t recovering from an injury.
Ballard, who has shown promise under Tony Mowbray’s coaching, will be hoping to maintain his level of contribution under Beale as the Black Cats start to consider promotion in the upcoming months.
The tall number five’s transfer worth has skyrocketed after he made an impression in the Championship, so Sunderland may need to hold out if other suitors try to come in and steal him in the near future.
Daniel Ballard’s transfer value in 2024
With Ballard’s transfer value now estimated by Football Transfers at €5.3m (£4.5m), the powerful defender will undoubtedly be tempted by Sunderland’s higher-ups to cash in on him and turn a tidy profit.
However, Sunderland will need to hold onto their outstanding center-back tightly if they hope to build on their current success and achieve even greater heights.
Ballard, who scored three goals from 31 games while on loan with his permanent employers, has demonstrated his goal-scoring prowess this season.
A clearance as good as a goal 🚫@dg_ballard, take a bow 👏@SunderlandAFC #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/eEH8xXTnO9
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 28, 2023
Ballard also shines when it comes to doing his defensive basics well, winning 5.6 duels on average this season per 90 minutes on top of being able to confidently play out from the back with a 90% pass accuracy average.