Daniel Ballard convinced he has picked the right club after completing Sunderland move

Daniel Ballard is convinced he has chosen the right club after leaving Arsenal to join Sunderland - with the Black Cats making it clear they see him as a key player as they step up to the Championship. Northern Ireland centre-back Ballard became Sunderland's first new face of the summer when he joined this week on a three-year contract, with the option of an additional 12 months.

The move ended Ballard's long association with Arsenal having become part of the Gunners' academy system at the age of eight, but he says it was obvious that there was no path to the first team for him at the Emirates Stadium. That prompted his departure this summer and, while he initially appeared on the verge of a move to Burnley, he ended up moving to Wearside in a deal understood to be worth between £1.5m and £2m.

"Arsenal made it pretty clear that there wasn't a pathway through to the first team at this moment in time," said Ballard. "I think we sort of agreed that it was the best thing for me to look for a new challenge permanently.

"There was a lot of interest from a few clubs and it was just about picking the right one to progress with. It'll definitely be a bit strange not being an Arsenal player, not having that bit of extra support and going back at the end of the season [after a loan], but I definitely think I've picked the right club so that I don't need that.

"This is a great challenge and I'm really looking forward to it. I had a lot of chats with the manager [head coach Alex Neil] and the people above him, and they made really clear that I was one of the key targets and that they wanted me to be the first player through the door for them.

"That gave me an awful lot of confidence, just that they really wanted me here and also to