Elliot Embleton has revealed his father recommended Dan Ballard to Sunderland before his 2022 move from Arsenal
Former Sunderland midfielder Elliot Embleton has revealed his father recommended Dan Ballard to the Black Cats before the defender’s eventual move to Wearside.
Embleton and Ballard became friends during their loan spell at Blackpool in 2020-21, when both helped the Seasiders win promotion from League One through the play-offs. Ballard returned to Arsenal before spending the following campaign on loan at Millwall, while Embleton went back to Sunderland.
Embleton says his father was impressed enough by Ballard to flag him to Sunderland. Embleton told The Echo: “I’m really good mates with him. I go and watch him when I can. He’s class. I met him at Blackpool; we were obviously on loan together there. We got promoted the season before Sunderland, so I ended up back there.
“To be fair, my dad scouted Sunderland and the first thing he said after that season was, ‘If you need a centre-half, you need to get Dan Ballard.’ I think he went to Millwall, which obviously was a better move at the time because they were in the Championship and we were still in League One.”
Ballard became available in the summer of 2022, after Sunderland won promotion back to the Championship. He joined permanently from Arsenal for an undisclosed fee after loans at Blackpool and Millwall. Embleton added: “My dad had mentioned to whoever worked there that he was available, and obviously I spoke to him and I was trying to get him there.
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“He didn’t really say much at the time, but then I got the phone call, and he was like, ‘I’m on my way up.’ Honestly, I was buzzing personally because I’m good friends with him, but then I knew he was a brilliant player. An absolute brick wall.”
Four years on, Ballard has established himself in the Premier League and signed a Sunderland contract until 2029, with the club holding an option for another year. Embleton added: “Now he’s one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League from what I’ve watched. He’s down to earth, and I think he’ll get better and better as he goes on.”
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