Who Are Sunderland’s ‘Must Keep’ Players For 2026/2027?

Enzo Le Fee of Sunderland gives his team instructions during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur at Stadium Of Light in Sunderland, United Kingdom, on April 12, 2026. (Photo by Alfie Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images Anthony Gair says… In my opinion, Dan Ballard is the best player in the team, and it’s not even close. We signed him for around £2 million, and I honestly believe he’s priceless now.

Every game he’s out there, throwing his body on the line, winning every ball in the air and being an absolute brick wall at the back. He’s one of those players who genuinely hates conceding goals, and you can see it in everything he does. If you want one moment that sums him up, look at that block at the end of the Arsenal game at the Stadium of Light — last-ditch, perfectly timed and it kept us level against one of the best sides in the country.

Ballard in a nutshell. No fuss, no theatrics, just an unbelievable determination to stop the ball from going in the net. I think people underestimate his influence too.

He’s potentially one of the strongest centre backs in the Premier League already and if we lost him, you’re looking at £50 million-plus to find someone even close to the same level. Good luck with that. Keep him at all costs.