Going into the upcoming round of second-tier games, Sunderland leads the Championship standings, and Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats are optimistic that they will pick up another three points soon.
But after having to wait an additional day to get back into the swing of things, the Wearside team may be temporarily knocked off their perch by the time their game against Hull City begins on Sunday.
Even though Daniel Ballard has missed a number of games, Sunderland has managed to win some of the division’s best games. When healthy, the former Arsenal player is a standout performer for his team.
Ballard’s Sunderland tenure
Le Bris has had to make quick decisions about who to start at the center of the defense because the 25-year-old has missed five of his high-flying team’s eight Championship games thus far.
The Black Cats have kept three clean sheets in the games Ballard has had to regrettably miss, so it hasn’t been a particularly unpleasant set of circumstances.
Even though results weren’t always at their best, the imposing center-back was a pleasure to watch last season and helped himself to an incredible three goals from 43 league games, so it shouldn’t take away from his significant contribution over the past couple of seasons.
According to Capology, the Northern Ireland international earns a substantial £25,000 a week, which reflects his value to the cause.
He will therefore undoubtedly continue to play a significant role for his team in their continuous pursuit of promotion, despite the fact that he is currently in and out of the first squad due to injury setbacks.
Le Bris will only be grateful that he has a large list of trustworthy defenders at his disposal because Sunderland has a history of having terrible back-row players, particularly when they were spending a lot of money in the Premier League.
The high-profile signee who made more money than Ballard
In 2016, Sunderland foolishly spent £8 million to acquire Chelsea washout Papy Djilobodji, who never fit in at Stamford Bridge and only made one appearance for the Blues before the Black Cats casually accepted him to Wearside.
At the Stadium of Light, his experience in England would not improve. The Senegalese player would go on to play for Sunderland a total of 24 appearances, 18 of which were in the top flight during the 2016–17 season, which ultimately resulted in his new employers being relegated.
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