Arsenal and Northern Ireland defender Dan Ballard has completed a summer move to Sunderland.
The 22-year-old has agreed a three-year deal with the Black Cats, with a club option of a further year. Ballard was being strongly linked with a move to Burnley, but will now link up with international teammates Trai Hume and Corry Evans at the Stadium of Light.
The centre half, who has 15 caps for Northern Ireland, told Sunderland's website: “It feels amazing to be here and I’m extremely happy.
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"The fan base and size of this football club speaks for itself and having been up here to have a look around, it feels like an exciting place to be.
"Supporters can expect to see a player who loves defending and tackling – I’m more of a traditional centre half and I want to add those qualities to the team, whilst also bringing something a little extra.
"I’m now looking to take the next step forward in my career and I believe this is the perfect place to do it.”
Ballard spent last season on loan with Millwall in the EFL Championship. He went on to make 30 appearances in the second tier, scoring one goal.
Sunderland boss Alex Neil added: “First and foremost, Daniel will add competition. Callum Doyle’s loan deal ended in May and Arby Xhemajli left the club, so we wanted to add in that area and Daniel fits into our structure of being a young, up and coming player who also has Championship experience.
"He fits the bill and he also knows what it takes to win, sampling success with Blackpool in the play-offs before having a year under his belt [in the second tier] with Millwall last season. We are really pleased to get this deal over the line.”
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