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Rowett asked about signing Dan Ballard from Arsenal permanently
Gary Rowett has suggested that he would love to sign Arsenal loanee Dan Ballard permanently, but that he is not sure whether the Gunners will have a different plan for the centre-back.
Ballard has had a mixed time since moving to The Den in the summer. When he has been available for Millwall, he has largely been extremely impressive.
However, he missed a large portion of the season due to a knee injury.
He has recently been back in the fold. However, NewsAtDen reports that he is now a doubt for this weekend after coming off at half-time in their latest Championship clash.
Rowett was asked about signing Ballard again from Arsenal. He did confirm that that would be something he would like to do, but hinted that his parent club may have other ideas.
“Someone like Dan Ballard, I’ve said it before, we’d love to keep him at the club, whether that’s on loan or whether that’s permanently,” .
“But he’s Arsenal’s player and I’m sure they’ve got a plan for him long-term that’s maybe not the exact one we would hope for.”
Ballard needs to take next step if he hopes to make grade at Arsenal
As things stand, it does appear that Ballard may face an uphill battle trying to make the grade with Arsenal. He turns 23 in September and is yet to make his Gunners debut.
It is not out of the question that he could force his way into Mikel Arteta’s plans in the future however. And with that, Ballard should arguably be looking to move a step up next year.
He was labelled outstanding while on loan with Blackpool. So he has more than proved himself in League One and the Championship now. He should have his sights set on playing on the Premier League.
If he can do well in the top-flight, perhaps Arsenal may be tempted to still promote him.
Of course, much may come down to where Ballard wants to play. The Northern Ireland international may now be keen to stay in one place for a longer period and build from there.
That may leave Millwall with some hope ahead of the summer.