Cats the right choice for me, insists Ballard
DANIEL Ballard is convinced he has chosen the right club after leaving Arsenal to join Sunderland - with the Black Cats making it clear they see him as a key player as they step up to the Championship.
Northern Ireland centre-back Ballard became Sunderland’s first new face of the summer when he joined this week on a three-year contract with the option of an additional 12 months.
The move ended Ballard’s long association with Arsenal having become part of the Gunners’ academy system at the age of eight, but he says it was obvioust there was no path to the first team for him at the Emirates Stadium.
That prompted his departure this summer and, while he initially appeared on the verge of a move to Burnley, he ended up moving to Wearside in a deal understood to be worth between £1.5m and £2m.
Ballard said: “Arsenal made it pretty clear there was not a pathway through to the first team.
“I think we sort of agreed it was the best thing for me to look for a new challenge permanently.
“There was a lot of interest from a few clubs and it was just about picking the right one to progress with.
“It will definitely be a bit strange not being an Arsenal player, not having that bit of extra support and going back at the end of the season after a loan, but I definitely think I have picked the right club so that I don’t need that.”
He added: “This is a great challenge and I am really looking forward to it.
“I had a lot of chats with head coach Alex Neil and the people above him and they made really clear I was one of their key targets and they wanted me to be the first player through the door for them.
“That gave me an awful lot of confidence, just the fact they really wanted me here and also to be a really key part of the team.
“This is a longer-term project and it was that ambition which really excited me.
“That was one of the main reasons I wanted to be here.
“I already feel comfortable and I have only been here a few days.
“I need to get myself up to fitness now and try and get myself into the team.”
Ballard has spent much of the last three years out on loan, with a spell at Swindon followed by a stint at Blackpool in which he helped the Tangerines win promotion from League One via the play-offs, and then spending last season in the Championship with Millwall.
He said: “It was only my first year in the Championship last year but I think I played enough to get the gist of what it is about, how tough it is. That is hopefully something I can bring to the team.”
Sunderland first expressed interest in the 22-year-old towards the end of last season, Ballard adding: “Sunderland approached really early, they showed a really strong interest. That was really exciting.
“There is a lot of work which goes on, especially because of the fact it is not a loan so between the clubs there was a lot of negotiating to do.
“I don’t have any input in that so you are just waiting, hoping something can be agreed.
“We have got it done relatively early which is good, that was the plan. You want that pre-season so you can get settled.”
He went on: “I think as a player my defensive skills have always been probably my main strength, something which comes really naturally to me because it is a side of the game I really love.
“My stuff on the ball is probably somthing I can work on.”