Sunderland sit top of the Championship table going into the next round of second-tier fixtures, with Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats hopeful that another three points will be forthcoming.
The Wearside outfit might well be knocked off their perch momentarily by the time their game with Hull City kicks off on Sunday, however, having had to wait an extra day to get back into the swing of things.
Sunderland have managed to pick up some top wins in the division even with Daniel Ballard being missing for a string of matches, with the ex-Arsenal man a star performer for his side when at full sharpness.
Ballard's time at Sunderland
The 25-year-old has been absent for five of his high-flying team’s eight Championship clashes to date, leading to Le Bris having to think on his feet over who he should select at the heart of the defence.
It hasn’t been too much of an unwelcome set of circumstances, however, with the Black Cats picking up three clean sheets in those games Ballard has had to unfortunately sit out from.
That shouldn’t take away from his important role over the past couple of seasons though, with the imposing centre-back a joy to watch last campaign even when results weren’t always at their best, helping himself to an impressive three goals from 43 league contests.
His importance to the cause is reflected in his hefty pay packet, with the Northern Ireland international raking in a weighty £25k-per-week salary, as per Capology.
Therefore, although he is in and out of the first-team fold currently owing to injury setbacks, he will no doubt still play a big role for his side in their ongoing hunt for promotion.
Le Bris will just be thankful he has a long list of reliable defenders at his disposal, with Sunderland falling foul of having some calamitous performers at the back in their recent past, especially when they used to splash the cash on a regular basis in the Premier League.
The big-money signing who earned more than Ballard
Sunderland rather rashly splurged out £8m to win Chelsea flop Papy Djilobodji in 2016, who never settled in well to his Stamford Bridge surroundings, making just one appearance for the Blues before the Black Cats haphazardly welcomed him to Wearside.
His time in England wouldn’t get any better at the Stadium of Light, with the Senegalese dud going on to line up for Sunderland a disastrous 24 times in total with 18 of those coming in the top-flight during the 2016/17 campaign, which culminated in his new employers suffering relegation.
Games played
18
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Total minutes played
1577 mins
Clean sheets
1
Wage
£35k-per-week
The defender only picked up a meagre one clean sheet in the Premier League donning a Sunderland strip, as the Black Cats leaked a depressing 69 goals in total in the league, with his wage very high for a player who constantly let his teammates down under pressure.
Djilobodji pocketed a steep £35k-per-week when on the books of the Wearside strugglers, with Ballard earning £10k-per-week less currently, despite valiantly battling well for his side during their own troubles last season.
Amazingly, the error-prone defender earned £22.5k more per week than Jobe Bellingham who earns a £12.5k-per-week salary, with the sparkling 19-year-old another presence Le Bris will know can deliver moments of quality.
His regular poor showings for Sunderland even saw football journalist James Hunter describe Djilobodji as “awful” during that relegation campaign.
This period in Sunderland’s bleak recent history will feel like a lifetime ago for many supporters in the here and now, with other notable flops at the time such as Didier NDong and Wahbi Khazri also helping themselves to excessive salaries at £30k-per-week and £40k-per-week respectively.
When all added up, the Black Cats flop cost the club around £10m overall, taking into account his £8m transfer fee and his wages.
The group at Le Bris’ disposal aren’t all motivated by earning a pretty penny however, unlike faces such as Djilobodji, as the likes of Bellingham aim to finally steer Sunderland back to the big time after years in the wilderness.
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