Familiar faces the key to sealing the deal for Ballard
Embleton played his part in defender’s move
NEW signing Daniel Ballard has revealed the key role Sunderland’s Elliot Embleton played in his move from Arsenal to Wearside.
Ballard joined the Black Cats this week on a three-year contract, with the option of a further 12 months, becoming the club’s first new face of the summer.
The Northern Ireland international defender says Embleton – who played alongside Ballard when the pair were on loan at Blackpool the season before last and won promotion from League One through the play-offs – played a part in the move, convincing him to choose Sunderland.
It feels amazing [to be here]. The fanbase, the size of the club, the history of the club and you can see it’s a Premier League club Daniel Ballard
“I was extremely close to Embo at Blackpool – we spent a lot of time together and had a successful year at Blackpool winning promotion,” said Ballard.
“I’ve been speaking to Embo especially a lot recently and he has been convincing me to make the move.”
Embleton is not the only familiar face for Ballard coming into the dressing room at the Academy of Light, with Corry Evans having played alongside him at international level.
He said: “I’ve played with Corry with Northern Ireland, it’s nice having a few mates coming into the team to help me settle down quicker, and that was also a big factor in wanting to come here.”
Sunderland have been tracking Ballard since the latter stages of last season but had to see off significant competition for his signature, with the 22-year-old very close to signing for Burnley at one stage while Millwall – where he spent last season on loan – were also interested.
“Sunderland reached out towards the end of the season, so it has been a long time coming, and since I heard that the club was interested I have been looking forward to getting up here and hoping they could sort a deal out between the clubs, and I am just delighted it has all gone through,” said Ballard.
“It feels amazing [to be here]. The fanbase, the size of the club, the history of the club and you can see it’s a Premier League club with the stadium, the set-up, the fans – so that was extremely appealing. Getting up here and having a look around, getting a feel for the place, it’s an exciting place to come. It’s been a stressful couple of weeks but I’m extremely happy to be here and to finally get the deal over the line.
“The last two years have been extremely successful and I enjoyed my time at my last two clubs [on loan at Blackpool and Millwall], and I am looking to take the next step forward and I feel that this is the perfect place to come.”
Asked to describe the attributes he brings to the squad, Ballard said: “You can expect to see someone who loves defending, someone who loves tackling, organising, and probably more of a traditional centre-half and that’s the kind of qualities I want to help bring to the team.”
Sunderland won promotion to the Championship via the play-offs and the first priority has to be to gain a foothold back in the second tier.
Ballard said: “After last year and getting promotion, we need to establish ourselves in the Championship. Having played in this league last year it’s a very tough league where anyone can beat anyone, so who knows where we could finish?”