Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
‘I was getting tearful’… Liam Brady admits he cried when telling 24-year-old he had to leave Arsenal
Liam Brady has admitted that he cried when telling Daniel Ballard that he was being let go by Arsenal before the youngster managed to earn himself a professional contract with the Gunners.
Brady was speaki𓂃ng on as he admitted that he ended up reversing his decision just before he left the club himself after many years as their head of youth development.
Daniel Ballard never got the chance to make his debut f♑or the Gunners. However, he looks set to have a very good career for club and country.
The 24-year-old has spent the last three seasons in the Championship, signing permanently for Sunderland in 2022. Ballard🅺 is also a regular fixture in the Northe𝓀rn Ireland side after making his debut back in 2020.
And one person who is delighted to see him doing so well is Liam Brady. Brady left his role at Arsenal in 2014, and it seems that one of his final 𒊎acts was initially to tell Ballard – who wꦫas 14 at the time – that he was being let go. However, the meeting did not quite go to plan.
Liam Brady cried when telling Daniel Ballard Arsenal were letting him go
“This was my last season [at Arsenal], I knew I was finishing up and young Danny [Ball🅠ard], he was a verꦆy committed player, but he wasn’t the quickest,” he told .
“And I thought he’s n♚ever going to play for our first team if he hasn’t got that speed, it is everything to play at the top level.
“So, I pulled Danny and his parents in and I began to explain to him that I didn’t think he was going to be able to develop anym𒉰ore at the club and he probably ꦯneeded to leave.
🍬“This was in my last season and ♚he began to get tearful, then he began to sob and I joined in. I was getting tearful myself.
“And I thought, I’m getting out of this, I really don’t𝓰 want to be doing this anymoܫre and I said, it’s OK Danny, you can stay, forget about what I said.
“I w꧒as really leaving Danny’s situation to the guy who was going to take over from me which was probably the wrong thing to do, however, Danny went on to get a professional contract at Arsenal and then he’s gone to play in the Championship.
“I think he’s at Sunderla♛nd now and he’s doing very well.”
Bar is so high – particularly for a young centre-back with the Gunners
In fairness, Brady would prove to be correct about Ballard’s prospects at Arsenal. Unfortunately for extremely talented players such as the centre-back, the bar is so high. And if he was still at the Emirates now, he would be trying to break into the team ahead of the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Per Mertesacker has preꦺvi꧙ously been full of praise for Ballard. And Ballar🎐d was linked with a Premier League move in the summer, with West Ham reported♒ly keen.
But it says everything about how good the best o🍰f the best are that Ballard was simply unable to break into the Arsenal team for a debut appearance before his depart💛ure.