Dan Ballard isn’t getting a lot of game time for Sunderland right now. But Regis Le Bris doesn’t seem worried about what the future might hold for the towering centre-back.
Many Sunderland fans think Dan Ballard is the club’s best centre-back. Though the former Arsenal man hasn’t started a game for the Black Cats in 2025, with his last start coming against Norwich City in mid-December.
Since then, Ballard has had a brief stint on the sidelines but he’s back available now, having made four substitute appearances in Sunderland’s last five Championship games.
Last time out, Sunderland drew 2-2 against Watford in the Championship. It was a game that really highlighted the Black Cats’ lack of physicality with neither Ballard and Jobe Bellingham featuring from the off.
There’s cries for Ballard to return to the starting XI and for Luke O’Nien to be dropped ahead of the upcoming Championship clash against a very physical Luton Town outfit on Wednesday night.
But Regis Le Bris doesn’t seem phased by the noise around Ballard right now.
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Regis Le Bris says Dan Ballard is in a ‘very good place’ at Sunderland
Sunderland boss Le Bris spoke to the press on Tuesday afternoon. Ballard was a main talking point during the presser with questions on whether or not the 25-year-old will return to the XI to combat the ailing physicality of the side.
Le Bris answered: “Ballard is in a very good place. And it’s good because he didn’t play a lot in the last couple of weeks, but he’s still involved, and it’s very important for the team spirit.
“And we know that we need competition to push everyone in the team, and at the same time, if a player is struggling a little bit, we have another one we need to play, and I have a good question to solve.”
Ballard has had Premier League links for some time now, with the likes of Brighton, Everton and Wolves having been mentioned alongside the Northern Ireland international.
But when Le Bris was asked if he thinks he and Ballard have a difficult conversation coming up in the summer, the Frenchman said: “Not really.”
Sunderland are ‘lucky’ to have their current centre-back options
Centre-back is certainly a position where Sunderland have some good quality, with O’Nien, Chris Mepham, and Ballard all vying for the starting spots.
Like Le Bris says, it’s a nice problem for him to have. But whether or not he’s managing the issue correctly right no remains to be seen.
Many still believe that a Mepham/Ballard partnership would be Sunderland’s best bet going forward, though Le Bris seems very reluctant to drop O’Nien right now.
Although Ballard isn’t playing right now, he remains a quality player, per the words of journalist Michael Graham who said of Ballard recently: “Dan Ballard is still absolute quality though. Been weird seeing him get a bit of stick lately. Sunderland are very lucky with their centre-back options.”
An injury at centre-back would see Ballard return and possibly keep his starting spot until the summer. But right now it’s proving hard for him to displace anyone.