Sunderland have struck gold on pacey star who's worth as much as Ballard
da esport bet： Sunderland fans will be nervously counting down the days until Saturday’s Championship playoff final with only one huge match now standing in their way of Premier League glory.
da supremo： There are some bad omens heading into the clash with Sheffield United, considering the Black Cats haven’t won on their last three visits to Wembley, but Regis Le Bris will pray his side can just get the job done by any means necessary in front of their raucous supporters.
It could also be another occasion where Daniel Ballard bails his team out in the most dramatic of fashions, with Sunderland entirely reliant on the ex-Arsenal man to guide them to the playoff final.
Ballard's astonishing heroics versus Coventry
If it wasn’t for Ballard popping up with a last-gasp header, the second leg tie against Coventry City would have headed to the nauseating lottery of penalties.
Thankfully, the Northern Irishman was in the perfect position to nod home Enzo Le Fee’s late corner kick, with the header undoubtedly leaving Coventry reeling, but it was a moment of unbelievable ecstasy for the Stadium of the Light to take in.
Ripping his shirt off in delight in the chaos that ensued, Ballard’s imposing presence from these scenarios could well be an effective weapon for Le Bris and Co to call upon for the final, particularly if it’s a tight and scrappy affair.
The Frenchman will also hope his attackers pack their shooting boots to try and upset the Blades on the biggest stage, with one promising forward player now actually worth the same as Ballard after he too played his part in Sunderland knocking out Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues.
The Sunderland star who's now worth as much as Ballard
Sunderland do have a whole host of sellable assets on their books, meaning promotion up to the Premier League will be key in attempting to keep the likes of Jobe Bellingham around for longer.
Ballard was even rumoured to be on the Blades’ shopping list once upon a time, but down the line, Sunderland number 12 Eliezer Mayenda could well be eyed up by some higher suitors himself with his performances for the Black Cats this season showing off a very promising striker that’s still got lots of room to improve.
He showed off his instinctive game when firing home the late winner in the first leg against Coventry, with Mayenda staying alert to any possible errors before rounding Ben Wilson confidently to finish off the gifted opportunity.
That would bump up his goal tally for the season to a nine strikes despite the 20-year-old only starting 22 Championship contests, with ex-Black Cats great Kevin Phillips even complimenting Mayenda as a “handful” after his winner at the CBS Arena.
The decision to snap up Mayenda for a measly £843k as a promising teenage talent has proven to be a steal, therefore, with the Zaragoza-born striker now worth around £3m according to Transfermarkt, which is the exact same value as Ballard.
Mayenda’s Sunderland numbers
Stat
Mayenda
Games played
48
Goals scored
9
Assists
5
Original value when joining
£843k
Value now
£3m
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Much like Bellingham’s value has skyrocketed amongst other shrewd Black Cats buys, it’s not out of the question to assume Mayenda’s value will continue to rise and rise too, particularly if he becomes a Premier League player very soon.
Before anyone gets too carried away at the Stadium of Light and starts picturing top-flight utopia, however, the playoff final is obviously a nerve-wracking day out that will really test the resolve of Le Bris’ young squad.
But, it could also be the perfect time for his group to mature even more, with both Mayenda or Ballard no doubt ready to be heroes again if a chance falls their way.
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