Sunderland have completed the signing of defender Daniel Ballard for an undisclosed fee - with the Arsenal man becoming the Black Cats' first new face of the summer. Ballard was on Wearside this week to undergo a medical and finalise his move, signing a three-year deal with an option for a further 12 months.
The Northern Ireland international has been linked with Sunderland over the summer but had looked destined to join Burnley instead, with new boss Vincent Kompany keen to bring him to Turf Moor as the Clarets look to return to the Premier League at the first attempt. But while he travelled to Burnley for a medical, his switch to the Lancashire club broke down over the weekend over personal terms and, as ChronicleLive revealed earlier this week, Sunderland immediately moved in and led the race to sign the 22-year-old.
There was also interest from Championship clubs Millwall and QPR, while he is also understood to have had potential suitors in Europe, but Sunderland have got their man. Ballard said: "It feels amazing to be here and I'm extremely happy.
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"The fanbase 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."
Head coach 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."
Stevenage-born Ballard joined Arsenal's academy at the age of eight, and while he did not make an appearance for the Gunners he made his senior debut in August 2019 during a loan spell with League Two Swindon Town.
He went on to spend eight months on loan at Blackpool, playing 25 games and scoring two goals as the Tangerines secured promotion from League One via the play-offs in 2021, when he was a teammate of Sunderland's Elliot Embleton, who was himself on loan at Bloomfield Road. He spent last season on loan in the Championship with Millwall, making 31 league appearances and scoring one goal.
Ballard played for Northern Ireland at U18 and U21 levels before making his full debut against Romania in a Nations League game in September 2020. He has won 15 senior caps in total, scoring two goals, and has played alongside Sunderland men Corry Evans and Trai Hume at international level.
Ballard becomes Sunderland's first genuine close-season addition, although they have also converted the loan deal that saw Union Berlin winger Leon Dajaku arrive on Wearside last summer into a permanent transfer, while midfielder Patrick Roberts, versatile academy graduate Lynden Gooch, and Australia international centre-back Bailey Wright have signed new contracts following the expiry of their previous deals. But there is still much to do as sporting director Kristjaan Speakman works to reinforce Alex Neil's squad following promotion.
The squad is weaker at this stage than it was at the end of last season, with seven senior players having departed either because they were released at the end of their contracts, or because they were on loan last season and have now returned to their parent clubs. And the squad not only needs to be brought up to strength numerically, it will also require upgrading if the club is to avoid struggling after stepping up to the second tier.
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