Sunderland must avoid Nottingham Forest transfer repeat as Burnley circle:

Ballard has been linked with a move to the Clarets – and the Black Cats need to be wary about the possibility of a double deal.

 Burnley’s interest in Sunderland centre-back Daniel Ballard may be more feasible now that Burnley are a Premier League side and willing to spend big.

Burnley’s defense has been a weak point this season, conceding 20 goals in eight league games, making it crucial for them to strengthen.

Selling both Ballard and Jack Clarke could have a detrimental impact on Sunderland, as they are important players and their departure could mirror Huddersfield’s decline after selling key players in the past.

Burnley have taken an interest in Sunderland centre-back Daniel Ballard, according to yesterday’s Patreon report from Alan Nixon.

It would have been very difficult for the Clarets to get a deal over the line during the winter window earlier this year because they were a Championship side at that point.

Now they are a Premier League side, they may be able to splash out the money needed to secure Ballard’s signature and owner Alan Pace may be willing to spend big if the Lancashire side are in with a real fighting chance of survival when the January transfer window opens.

Their defence has been a weak point at times this season, conceding 20 goals in eight league games.

Only Sheffield United have conceded more goals in the Premier League this term, so this is clearly an area that Vincent Kompany’s side will need to strengthen to give themselves the best chance of remaining in the top flight.

Ballard may have been part of a defence that conceded four at home against Middlesbrough last weekend – but the Black Cats had kept a clean sheet until Dan Neil was sent off and the ex-Arsenal man has shone again this term – proving to be an asset in both boxes.

He has started in all of Tony Mowbray’s side’s 11 league games this term, getting himself on the scoresheet against Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday.

Why do Sunderland need to be wary of a potential Burnley double deal?

Ballard isn’t the only Sunderland player that the Clarets have been linked to this year.

Jack Clarke has also been on their radar, with Kompany’s side having several bids rejected for him after the ex-Tottenham Hotspur managed to impress during his first full season at the Stadium of Light.

The Clarets do have some decent options on the wing, but two factors could persuade the Lancashire side to move for Clarke during the winter.

Firstly, a couple of their wing options have only come in on loan, so replacements will probably be needed for them at some point.

As well as this, Clarke has been in excellent form so far this season, scoring seven goals in 11 league appearances. In his current form, it would be difficult to see Kompany’s side not keeping tabs on him at this point.

The sale of both Ballard and Clarke could generate a huge amount of money for Mowbray’s side, but they should look at a previous example to see why they shouldn’t sell both.

Why should Sunderland not sell both Jack Clarke and Daniel Ballard to Burnley?

During the summer of 2022, Nottingham Forest had beaten Huddersfield Town in the play-off final and in a further blow for the Terriers, the Reds signed two of their best stars: Harry Toffolo and Lewis O’Brien.

Although the departures of Carlos Corberan and Levi Colwill contributed to their downfall too, they declined quite rapidly and only just managed to keep themselves afloat in the Championship at the end of last term, largely thanks to Neil Warnock.

Ballard and Clarke are just as important to the Black Cats as O’Brien and Toffolo were to Huddersfield, with O’Brien being an instrumental figure in the middle of the park and Toffolo being a particularly important attacking asset at left wing-back during 2021/22.

Ballard is a solid figure for the Black Cats and now has a decent amount of EFL experience under his belt. Clarke, meanwhile, has become a regular goalscorer for the Wearside club.

Selling both Ballard and Clarke could be costly to a Sunderland side that relies on the duo, like Huddersfield when they decided to sell Toffolo and O’Brien in a double deal.

Mowbray does have other good players at his disposal, but those two first-teamers are crucial and shouldn’t be sold in a double agreement to the Clarets.