Leeds United promotion hero sends 'step up' Premier League message to Sunderland pair
Stuart Dallas has experienced the challenge of rising from Championship to Premier League for the first time.
Stuart Dallas has warned Northern Irish Sunderland pair Trai Hume and Dan Ballard of the challenge awaiting them next season as the Black Cats look set to battle Leeds United for Premier League survival.
Sunderland were the third and final team to book their top-flight ticket last month, coming from behind to beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the play-off final. Defensive pair Ballard and Hume played a huge role not only in that Wembley triumph but the entire campaign on Wearside, with both expected to stay on board going into the Premier League.
Leeds will have a vested interest in how the pair do given they, Burnley and Sunderland will almost certainly be part of the group fighting to avoid relegation next season. Dallas knows the difficulty of bridging that gap to Premier League football - albeit he was part of a side who avoided any relegation danger to finish ninth under Marcelo Bielsa - and the former Elland Road favourite expects his countrymen to get a handle on things pretty quick.
“I know how Trai Hume and Daniel Ballard feel after they won promotion with Sunderland, it's an incredible feeling and achieving it with Leeds was one of the highlights of my career,” Dallas wrote in his column for BBC Sport NI. “It's a big step up from the Championship, not only on the pitch but with everything that comes with it.
“There's more spotlight and every game you play is a big event that is shown all over the world. It's literally a different ball game. On the pitch, you can see the difference between the top two divisions by how the promoted teams have struggled to bridge the gap after going up, but Trai and Daniel are more than capable of adapting and they've shown it at international level.
“That's always what gave me the belief I could perform well in the Premier League. I wasn't playing all the time with my club, but with Northern Ireland I was playing against some of the best players in the world and I always felt I held my own.”
Who else could Leeds United target to finish above next season?
Sunderland and Leeds are expected to be among the group fighting to survive next season but it remains to be seen how big that group might be. Burnley will also likely be there too but given all of the last six newly-promoted teams have gone straight back down, someone will need to buck the trend.
Wolves finished 16th last season and have since lost star player Matheus Cunha to Manchester United, while Rayan Ait-Nouri is closing in on a transfer to Manchester City. Molineux chiefs will receive close to £100million for the pair and so their fate next season will likely depend on how that money is spent.
West Ham also struggled last season and reports suggest they will have very limited funds to spend, having already committed to a £36m permanent clause in Jean-Clair Todibo’s loan deal. Brentford have cemented themselves as top-flight regulars in recent years but could lose impressive manager Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur, while star player Bryan Mbeumo is a transfer target for top Premier League clubs.
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