Chris Rigg must be fuming with Sunderland transfer decision
Chris Rigg must be unhappy that Regis Le Bris did not let him leave Sunderland on loan in January as he continues to sit on the bench despite Sunderland’s drop off in form.
Rigg‘s senior minutes have been limited this season after Sunderland spent big last summer following confirmation of their promotion to the Premier League.
He featured 47 times in all competitions last term to help fire them to Championship playoff glory, but has only made 11 appearances so far in 2025-26.
The 18-year-old was heavily linked away from his boyhood club ahead of last summer’s window, but their promotion meant he chose to stay and help them in what looked set to be a tough battle against relegation.
Sunderland have instead been one of the Premier League‘s surprise packages, but despite a slight drop off in form in recent months, Rigg has continued to sit on the bench and wait for regular chances to play.
Chris Rigg may have been better off out on loan despite Regis Le Bris admission
Rigg has been handed six Premier League starts so far this season, with the last of those coming as Sunderland lost 3-0 to Brentford on 7 January.
He has not even made an appearance off the bench since that day, despite Le Bris clearly having chances to either play him in from the off or as a substitute, particularly against Oxford in the FA Cup and at 3-0 up late on against Burnley.
The Black Cats manager did not rule out a loan move away from Wearside for the midfielder at the start of January, but nothing happened on that front, and Le Bris recently insisted that Rigg will get opportunities in the coming months, and it is “just a question of time.”
If the fact that he did not feature against Championship strugglers Oxford at all last week did not ring any alarm bells in the 18-year-old’s head, then his latest snub against Fulham certainly will have.
Le Bris chose to start inexperienced wide man Jocelin Ta Bi ahead of Rigg against the Cottagers on Sunday, while new signing Nilson Angulo also played from the off.
Romaine Mundle came on from the bench ahead of him, and even when the Black Cats were desperately in need of a goal at 2-1 down, three other players were instead substituted on and it finished 3-1.
Rigg would surely have been better off playing every week for the remainder of this season, in either a smaller European top-flight league or the Championship, rather than sitting on the bench regressing, and he should therefore be angry with Le Bris for keeping him around.
Le Bris may leave Sunderland before Rigg
Rigg is a highly-rated talent among Sunderland fans and neutrals alike, hence why a myriad of top clubs were keeping tabs on his progress while he played every week in the second-tier.
The youngster dispelled any rumours of a permanent exit last summer as he extended his contract to 2030, but a loan departure could well be on the cards ahead of next season, provided Sunderland are still a Premier League club.
If anything, Le Bris may well leave the Stadium of Light before the 18-year-old does, with Black Cats fans starting to grow frustrated with him after a third straight loss was inflicted upon them by Fulham.
There is a growing belief that he could well be relieved of his duties in the summer if their poor form continues, which would likely benefit Rigg and his chances of playing regular first-team football.