Arsenal are a club that have, historically, been cutthroat in terms of knowing when it's time to let go of a player who is no longer up to the standards. But ex-Sunderland and England defender Michael Gray believes the north Londoners sanctioned a £2 million departure of a Premier League-level centre-back, who is now worth around the £60-80 million mark, three years ago.
Sunderland-born Gray, 51, played 289 times for the Black Cats between 1992 and 2004 before spending the rest of his career at the likes of Leeds United, Blackburn and Wolverhampton Wanderers. His heart, however, remains with his boyhood club, and he's been mightily impressed by their spell in the top flight.
Having been promoted to the Premier League for the first time since 2017 at the end of last season, Regis Le Bris' Sunderland are, at the time of writing, sitting seventh with 29 points from 19 matches. Beating Newcastle United 1-0 in mid-December was probably the standout moment of their venture thus far but, all in all, it's been impressive.
Ex-Arsenal Academy Prospect Worth £80 Million, Says Michael Gray
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In the summer, Le Bris and the powers that be at Sunderland especially were not afraid to put their hands in their pockets as a way of strengthening their squad. Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki, Nordi Mukiele are just a handful of summer additions who have made ample difference to how the northeast outfit have fared in the early stages of the Premier League journey.
Despite the abundance of money spent on new faces, there are still plenty of players from their days in the Championship that are still able to make a difference – Enzo Le Fee and Dan Ballard are two names that spring to mind.
In terms of the latter, Ballard is a former Arsenal academy prospect. With no obvious route into first-team proceedings under Mikel Arteta, a move to the Stadium of Light beckoned in the summer of 2022 and the 26-year-old wouldn't have looked back since.
Daniel Ballard
"If you want me to say a player who probably could be worth £60/70/80million, I would say Dan Ballard. He has been incredible," Gray told talkSPORT ahead of Sunderland's 0-0 draw with Manchester City over the weekend, before also noting Robin Roefs' impressive displays. "And the goalkeeper, Robin Roefs, has been sensational as well," he said.
Back to waxing poetic about Stevenage-born Ballard, Gray continued: "But Dan Ballard for me. Look, he went away in the summer and obviously had the playoff semi-finals where he was the one who got them into the final with a header against Coventry late on.
"He went away in the summer, and he said to himself, and not many players probably do this and say, 'Look, I'm not strong enough to be a Premier League centre-half.' So he bulked himself up. Worked on his pace, worked on his positioning and his leadership, and he has been absolutely phenomenal. He really has," he continued.
"So if you're talking about a player costing £60/70/80million, then I'm sure there's a lot of clubs – and I hope he stays at Sunderland – but I'm sure there's a lot of clubs looking at him thinking 'he could replace who we've got.'"
Ballard, who put in a masterful performance during Sunderland's play-off victory against Sheffield United at Wembley, has established himself as a mainstay at the heart of Le Bris' back line – typically alongside Paraguay international Omar Alderete. The Northern Irishman has played 15 times since their curtain-raiser in August, scoring twice and assisting once.
Ballard Previously Opened Up About Love for Arsenal
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Now marshalling the back line for Sunderland, Ballard joined Arsenal at the age of eight and lined up alongside the likes of Bukayo Saka in the club's youth ranks. It wasn't always plain sailing, though, as he was released on two separate occasions before the Gunners offered him a deal on scholarship terms when he was 16 years of age.
It was in June 2018 when Ballard then signed his first professional contract with the club, but he was soon loaned out to the likes of Swindon Town and Millwall before a permanent, £2 million-worth switch to Sunderland came to the fore.
Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, the centre-back spoke about his adoration for Arsenal. “I love Arsenal for everything they've done for me, but I suppose I never really had that real connection with the first team," he said.
“It was more sort of the academy and, you know, all the staff and the amazing people that helped me. I never got that real chance in the first team," he said before reflecting on his decision to celebrate after scoring in Sunderland's 2-2 draw with the Gunners on November 8, 2025.
"So I was never not going to celebrate in a stadium like that in such a big game. I was always going to celebrate. I'll just always give 100% and I think fans appreciate that.”
His Emirates Stadium days are now behind him, though, and Ballard's a wise head on young shoulders. For now until the end of the season, keeping hold of his spot alongside Alderete will be at the top of his priority list – and Le Bris will be equally keen for him to continue performing at such a level given a shot at European football is genuinely in the offing.