Daniel Ballard has explained why he chose a move to newly-promoted Sunderland over a switch to Championship promotion favourites Burnley last summer. The Northern Ireland centre-back was on his way out of Arsenal 12 months ago and had the opportunity to join Vincent Kompany's Clarets, who had just been relegated from the Premier League and were tipped for an immediate return to the top flight - and who went on to prove those those predictions correct as they won the title at a canter.
But while Kompany was keen to bring him to Turf Moor, Ballard instead opted for a move to Sunderland - who began the season looking to re-establish themselves in the second tier after winning promotion from League One via the play-offs - because he believed he could become a more 'pivotal' part of the team on Wearside. "He was very complimentary," Ballard said of Kompany, in an interview with The Athletic.
"He said it was one of the positions he wanted to nail down and he felt I could perform what he wanted to do on the ball. Burnley had just come down from the Premier League and Sunderland had just come up from League One but felt I could play more of a pivotal role at Sunderland.
