Sunderland “colossus” has been an even better signing than Xhaka & Mukiele
da dobrowin： Sunderland extended their unbeaten run against bitter rivals Newcastle United to ten matches in the Premier League after a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
da betsson： The Black Cats started the run with a 1-1 draw at St. James’ Park back in 2012, and added another run to the win thanks to Nick Woltemade’s own goal at the weekend.
On top of it being a satisfying result because of the rivalry, it was also a result that keeps Sunderland in the European chasing pack, as they sit seventh in the top-flight.
Ranking Sunderland's best performers against Newcastle
Sunderland spent £13m to sign Granit Xhaka and £9.5m to sign Nordi Mukiele in the summer to add real pedigree to the squad, as the former had played and won trophies with Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen, and the latter won two Ligue 1 titles with PSG.
Both of them showcased their quality in the win over Newcastle. Mukiele had the beating of Anthony Gordon, as he was not dribbled past a single time, and Xhaka dominated the midfield, winning five of his six duels, per Sofascore.
The Switzerland international’s midfield partner, Noah Sadiki, also caught the eye by winning four of his five duels, as both of Regis Le Bris’ midfielders stepped up to show that they could deal with the physicality of the derby.
Ranking Sunderland’s best performers vs Newcastle
Rank
Player
1
Dan Ballard
2
Nordi Mukiele
3
Granit Xhaka
4
Noah Sadiki
5
Omar Alderete
As you can see in the table above, both of Sunderland’s centre-backs also rank in our top five Sunderland performers against the Magpies, with Dan Ballard coming out on top.
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The Northern Irish centre-back, who was given an 8/10 player rating by the Sunderland Echo, produced a colossal display at the back, winning 100% (3/3) of his ground duels and completing eight clearances, per Sofascore, to keep a clean sheet in the derby.
Why Dan Ballard has been a better signing than Granit Xhaka
Ballard’s performance against Newcastle, which led to journalist Andy Sixsmith describing him as a “colossus”, is further evidence that he has been an even better signing than the likes of Xhaka and Mukiele.
As aforementioned, the £22.5m duo were both signed for relatively big money from huge European teams, in Leverkusen and PSG, which meant that they were more or less expected to come in and be key players at Premier League level.
Ballard, on the other hand, joined for a reported fee of just £2m from Arsenal in the summer of 2022, having failed to make a single appearance for the Gunners and having never played above Championship level.
The 26-year-old star has gone on to play 103 matches for Sunderland in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, and his importance to the team in recent years was illustrated by the fact that he was the only starter against Newcastle who was not signed by the club in 2025.
Sunderland starters vs Newcastle
Player
First signed
Robin Roefs
August 2025
Nordi Mukiele
August 2025
Dan Ballard
July 2022
Omar Alderete
August 2025
Reinildo
July 2025
Granit Xhaka
July 2025
Noah Sadiki
July 2025
Bertrand Traore
September 2025
Enzo Le Fee
January 2025
Chemsdine Talbi
July 2025
Brian Brobbey
September 2025
Via ESPN
As you can see in the table above, Ballard stands out as, by far, the longest-serving player from the starting line-up on Sunday, which speaks to the incredible journey that he has been on at the Stadium of Light.
The Northern Ireland international, who has scored two goals in 11 Premier League starts this season, has proven that he can produce quality performances, like the one he produced on Sunday, in the top-flight.
Ballard has won 73% of his ground duels and 59% of his aerial duels in the division, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been a dominant force at the back for Sunderland, as he was in the derby against Newcastle.
His exceptional performances in the Premier League, including the one at the weekend, prove that he has been an even better signing than Xhaka and Mukiele, because he was signed for far less money and to be a Championship player, yet has been up there with those two as a top-quality top-flight performer this season.
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