Sunderland fans would have hoped that there would be a bit more optimism in the air around the Stadium of Light ahead of the 2024/25 campaign kicking off, but the mood still feels sour.
The Black Cats remain without a manager, as the saga to find Michael Beale's permanent successor continues to irritate those situated in Wearside, whilst there's plenty of talk surrounding a number of Sunderland's top gems packing their bags for pastures new this summer.
Jack Clarke's name is always being floated about as a potential outgoing, after bagging 15 goals last season to be a ray of sunshine to cut through the doom and gloom, whilst Dan Neil's contract situation could soon raise the anxiety levels, with the homegrown product reportedly hesitant to commit to Sunderland owing to the precarious manager situation.
Chris Rigg is another face that the powers that be at Sunderland will be desperate to hold onto past this transfer window, with new reports suggesting he's in the same camp as Neil when it comes to securing his immediate Black Cats future.
The latest on Chris Rigg's future at Sunderland
According to Sunderland Echo journalist James Copley, there's a deal in principle agreed between the Championship side and Rigg for the now 17-year-old to sign a professional deal at the Stadium of Light.
But, with notable interest from elsewhere for the teenage sensation potentially tempting, and no new boss occupying the Black Cats dug-out just yet, Rigg hasn't yet penned the deal put forward to him.
Sunderland will aim to tie down their highly-rated starlet soon, to avoid an uncertain Neil-type scenario, knowing that the wide-eyed midfielder could be a huge part of the Wearside outfit heading into the future.
Arguably, keeping a firm grip on Rigg could be as crucial as Clarke sticking it out in Sunderland quarters for the next campaign, with what the teenager could offer over many years to come, before potentially then being sold on for far more than the reported £3m price-tag that had previously been placed above his head.
Rigg's importance to Sunderland
Given plenty of first-team experience by interim boss Mike Dodds last campaign, with Rigg amassing 21 second-tier games, the youngster never looked too out of his comfort zone, as the nimble number 31 held his own.
Rigg would end up helping himself to two strikes from those Championship clashes, as the Academy wonderkid featured, in some capacity, in the last 13 matches of the otherwise disappointing season for his team.
1. Derek Forster
15 years, 6 months + 3 days
2. Chris Rigg
15 years, 6 months + 20 days
3. Jimmy Hamilton
16 years, 3 months + 11 days
4. Bali Mumba
16 years, 6 months + 28 days
5. Dan Neil
16 years, 11 months + 0 days
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Already immortalised into the Sunderland hall-of-fame, as can be seen looking at the table above, it would feel like a kick in the teeth for the Black Cats if Rigg was moved on already, with a major move up to the Premier League perhaps a premature switch for a starlet who is still inexperienced at a senior level, having only made 25 professional appearances for his current employers to date.
Whereas, there would be obvious anger if Clarke was moved on in the short-term, but there would be no qualms if the electric winger wanted a higher-up move, having been a loyal servant to Sunderland for many years now, accumulating 122 games in the process.
Whereas, Rigg – who was described as being a "warrior" by ex-Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray – has only just started his journey, and could be a huge sale down the line, after further endearing himself to his loyal set of supporters. Thus, losing him now would not be ideal in the slightest – he could just become one of the best to emerge out of the academy in quite some time.
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