Sunderland AFC: Any Dan Neil and Dan Ballard transfer advances must be snubbed | OneFootball

FLW outline two of the most important players for Regis Le Bris and Sunderland to cling onto this summer.

Highlights

Sunderland attention has turned to the transfer market and investing in the squad for the 2024/25 campaign, whilst key players must be retained if they are to improve upon last season.

After an underwhelming campaign of stagnation in the second tier in finishing 16th in the league, there are bound to be a number of changes behind the scenes at the Stadium of Light, with the futures of many players up for discussion in both the short and long-term, as well as the need for a new man in the dugout.

The capture of Regis Le Bris from Lorient enables the ball to get rolling in terms of transfers, as he is able to assess the playing squad and hit the ground running ahead of pre-season, whilst dragging things out any further could have seen the Black Cats fall behind their Championship peers in preparation for next season.

Players such as Jack Clarke are near-certain to depart the club this summer, amid ongoing links to the likes of Crystal Palace, West Ham, and Wolves, but there are other vital players that could be the key components behind a promotion push next season. For now, the club have plenty of work to do, and that includes signings. However, here we take a look at two of the players they must retain this summer if they are to rebuild.

Dan Ballard

It's incredible to think that a 24-year-old can be considered one of the club's most senior and experienced figures, but that is the case with Dan Ballard, who is the sixth-oldest player at the club and is a core member of the team in terms of his ability as a player and the squad as a personality and leader.

The Black Cats have the youngest squad by average age in the division and are renowned for their ability to buy young players and improve them, with selling some of them on the next step this summer. However, Ballard should not be one of those.

As Sunderland continue to grow and develop as a young side, they will require the next generation of leadership figures in their team, and Ballard is chief among them. His dependability and consistency at the heart of defence are only aided by his ability to play on the very edge, with his heart on his sleeve.

The centre-back featured 43 times in the Championship last season, with all of those appearances coming as a start (per Fbref). Ballard is recognised by the majority of Sunderland supporters as one of the team’s top performers in an otherwise difficult year for the club.

The defender joined the Stadium of Light in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth a reported £2 million, signing from Arsenal after an impressive loan stint with Millwall. He penned a three-year contract but signed an extension in 2023 to keep him at the Stadium of Light until the summer of 2027.

If the team is going to compete for promotion in 2025, then keeping players of Ballard’s calibre will be vital. The opportunity to join a Premier League club now will be tempting for the 24-year-old, but Le Bris' appointment could be what helps convince him to commit his future to the Championship side and continue his personal development, as well as the club's.

Dan Neil

If Ballard is known for thundering into challenges and his never-say-die attitude, then the same could also be said of Dan Neil, albeit with a touch more class and elegance in the centre of midfield.

Speaking of potential leaders and captains over the coming years, Neil should be in those same conversations, having improved immensely as both a player and character over the last few seasons. He has added further strings to his bow this season, as he has also captained the side on occasion. The 22-year-old has been capped at England youth level previously in England's U-20 setup.

Neil is a vital cog in the play-off chasing side and has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Championship already at the age of just 22. However, should they fail to gain promotion next season, there is a good chance he won't be a Sunderland player come the summer of 2025, with Neil likely to outgrow the division, if he hasn't already done so.

The Black Cats are currently said to be in conversations with the academy graduate midfielder about a new contract at the Stadium of Light, with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2026. It has been claimed that the uncertainty surrounding the situation has played a role in Neil’s decision to reject a new contract offer recently.

It's paramount that they secure him to fresh terms. Neil has made 128 league appearances for the Mackems to date, having helped the club come up through the League One playoffs in the 21/22 campaign, before establishing himself as a prominent feature in the Black Cats’ engine room.

Sunderland will hope to keep all of their key players this summer, including the likes of Neil, Ballard, Trai Hume, and Clarke amongst others, to help boost their promotion hopes. Albeit, the latter is perhaps the likeliest to leave, which makes Ballard and Neil's futures the most pertinent to secure for Le Bris and co. this summer.