Sunderland are still testing the fitness of central defender Daniel Ballard, who was ruled unfit to play in Northern Ireland’s World Cup qualifier against Italy.
The 26-year-old star has been out of action since suffering a hamstring injury in the 1-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on March 14.
Ballard will be disappointed to see his country lose 2-0 to Italy in the play-off semi-finals last Thursday, ending Northern Ireland’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
Selfishly for the Black Cats, this means the centre-back will not play much football over the summer before the start of the 2026-27 season and will spend a full pre-season with the club.
This is a boost for Regis Le Bris and his team, as the former Arsenal defender has been phenomenal in the Premier League this season.
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Ballard signed for Sunderland from Arsenal in the summer of 2022, when the Black Cats were in the Championship, but had not played a Premier League game at that point.
The Northern Irish beast has been a giant for Le Blis this season, although his lack of top-level experience makes it difficult to assess whether he is ready to move up.
The 26-year-old star, who has scored two goals, has won 62% of his ground battles and 59% of his aerial battles in the Premier League, showing that he is a dominant defender who can’t be beaten over and over again by attackers.
Ballard’s jump in Transfermarkt value reflects how well he has adapted to the top flight. He was valued at £7m in May 2025, but has risen to £17m at the time of writing, a credit to his performances this season.
But the Northern Ireland international is not the only talent to have made it through the Championship and into the Premier League, with another Black Cats star now worth more than just a centre-back.
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Sunderland spent big last summer bringing in the likes of Granit Xhaka, Brian Brobby, Nordi Mukiele and Kemsuddin Talbi, but Le Blis continued to have faith in some of the players who won promotion from the second division.
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Trey Hume was another Championship hero alongside Ballard, stepping up to the Premier League and impressing with his performances.
The Northern Ireland international, who played in his country’s defeat to Italy, has secured a place in the starting XI, starting in 29 of the Black Cats’ 31 top-flight appearances this season.
Hume first joined Sunderland in January 2022 when they were in League One, signing from Linfield for just £200,000. Four years have passed since that move, and it is no exaggeration to say that the club has hit the jackpot.
Like Ballard, the 24-year-old star has shown he can cope with the physicality of the Premier League, winning 56% of his ground duels and 50% of his aerial duels as a right-back this season.
25/26 Premier League | Trey Hume |
|---|---|
Appearance | 31 |
tackle win | 56 |
Clearance has occurred | 87 |
won a duel | 152 |
Ground duel success rate | 56% |
Aerial duel success rate | 50% |
Hume has been an impressive defender throughout for the Black Cats, but has only provided one assist and contributed to eight clean sheets in 29 starts.
His Transfermarkt value soared as he moved between League One, Championship and Premier League with Sunderland.
At the time of writing, Hume’s Transfermarkt value is approximately £19 million. This is 9,400% more than the £200,000 fee the club paid to sign Linfield in 2022 and £2m more than Ballard’s current value.
This marks Sunderland’s gold-medal signing of the young Northern Ireland defender during his time in League One, and he has gone on to prove himself to be a capable player in the Premier League within four years.
Ballard and Hume are living proof that clubs don’t need to spend more than £10m every time they sign a quality player.
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