New Sunderland boss will want to run the rule over duo given Everton interest: View | OneFootball

One of the big decisions that Sunderland will have to make over the course of the summer, is the identity of their new manager.

The Black Cats have been without a permanent first-team boss since the sacking of Michael Beale back in February.

Since then, Mike Dodds has been in interm charge of the club. However, the 37-year-old has won just two of his 11 games in temporary charge of the club.

As a result, it does seem clear that Sunderland will have to bring in a new manager come the end of the campaign.

When whoever it is who takes over at the Stadium of Light does so, they will have a number of issues to deal with, is the future of Dan Ballard.

Premier League club eyeing Dan Ballard swoop

Back in the summer of 2022, Ballard completed a move to Sunderland from Arsenal, signing for the Black Cats for an undisclosed fee.

Since then, the 24-year-old has become a key player for the club at the heart of their defence. In total, the centre back has made 64 appearances in all competitions for Sunderland.

In that time, he has become an important presence in the backline, with some impressive performances proving enough to now attract some significant interest in his services.

According to recent reports, Premier League side Everton are now keen to sign the Sunderland man, as a potential replacement for Jarrad Branthwaite, who is himself attracting interest from elsewhere.

Should the potential for such a move emerge, it would be another thing for whoever is set to take over as Sunderland manager to deal with.

Because of that interest, there is arguably a good chance that the new Black Cats boss, will be keen to take a look at two players who are currently out on loan elsewhere.

Sunderland may need a replacement for Dan Ballard

Given that Premier League interest in him, it could be hard for Sunderland to retain the services of Ballard beyond the end of this season.

If that does indeed prove to be the case, then the Black Cats will of course need to find a replacement for the centre back, given how important he is to their side.

In that case, they may want to look to some of those already on the books at The Stadium of Light, before heading into the transfer window themselves.

Sunderland do have options to do that with, thanks to two players they loaned out earlier this season, in the form of Nectarios Triantis and Joe Anderson.

A summer signing from Central Coast Mariners, Triantis made just three appearances for Sunderland in the first half of this season, before being loaned to Hibernian in the January transfer window. Since making that move, the Australian has featured 12 times in all competitions for the Scottish Premiership side.

Anderson meanwhile, made the move to Sunderland in January 2023, joining from the youth setup at Everton.

After making just four brief appearances for the Black Cats, this summer then saw the 23-year-old also sent out on a season-long loan, in this case to Shrewsbury Town.

He has since gone onto feature on 29 occasions for his loan side, recently helping them to secure their League One status for another season.

As a result, it could be worth the new Sunderland manager, whoever that might be, considering giving one or both of those players a chance, in case Ballard is lost in the summer.

With both players naturally central defensive, they could fill the space in the squad that could be vacated if Ballard moves on to Everton or elsewhere.

Indeed, with Sunderland set to be competing in the Championship again next season, the duo may now be ready to step in at that level, thanks to the experience they have developed while out on loan this season.

If they were able to make the step into the team to fill the gap that might be left by Ballard, it would mean the funds Sunderland could receive from the sale of the Everton target, could then be spent on strengthening other areas of the squad.

As a result, it may make sense for the Black Cats to give those individuals more of a chance to show what they can do at The Stadium of Light if they need to replace Ballard, since they are going to be there for some time anyway.

So with all that in mind, you get the feeling that Triantis and Anderson may well be keeping an eye on the situation around Ballard over the coming months, due to knock-on effect it could have on the opportunities they themselves might be able to get with Sunderland under a new manager next season.