Daniel Ballard’s move to Burnley broke down after the the parties failed to agree personal terms, but his Arsenal exit could be back on as he closes in on a move to Sunderland.
The defender has proven to be a solid defender in recent years, holding onto a regular first-team role for Northern Ireland as well as enjoying successful loan spells with Millwall and Blackpool.
Despite impressing, he isn’t deemed ready for a role with the Gunners, with the likes of Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba all set to vie for minutes this term, while we are also being linked with the possible addition of Lisandro Martinez.
Ballard now looks set to leave the club on a permanent deal, although we are assuming that a buyback or first option clause will be included in the deal as was reported to be part of the previous agreement with Burnley.
I think I’d like Ballard to have gotten the chance to try and work with the rest of the squad in pre-season before a decision was made, as I think he has the potential to be good enough for a first-team role at the Emirates, but he needs exposure to the highest level before we can really see what he’s made of.
Am I alone in expecting Ballard to be playing in the Premier League before long? Do you think he could be good enough for Arsenal in the near future?
Patrick
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Totally expect him be back in premiership, good to see we recognise that also and have been trying to keep him tied into Arsenal via clauses.
I’d love to know what happened with Ballard and Burnley.he went there for the medical but the deal fell through because they couldn’t agree on personal terms, surely it should have been sorted before the medical no??