Chris Rigg reacts to heartfelt Sunderland exit announcement
Chris Rigg reacted on social media to the announcement of a permanent departure from Sunderland.
The talented midfielder made 47 appearances for the Black Cats last season, scoring four and assisting one goal.
Having only turned 18 years old in June, the youngster is seen as one of the most prodigious talents in England.
This has led to several top clubs registering an interest in the attacking midfielder, and Football Insider revealed in April that Everton were leading the race to sign Rigg.
Whilst Regis Le Bris’ side may have received a sizeable cash boost after gaining promotion to the Premier League, finance expert Dan Plumley told Football Insider Sunderland cannot reject huge bids for their star players.
This has already been demonstrated by Jobe Bellingham’s departure to Borussia Dortmund and Tommy Watson’s move to Brighton.
Nathan Bishop joins Wimbledon in permanent deal from Sunderland
Following two spells out on loan last season with Wycombe Wanderers, then Cambridge United, Nathan Bishop has joined AFC Wimbledon on a permanent deal.
Sunderland shared an image of the former Man United shot-stopper on Instagram, captioned: “Nathan Bishop has joined AFC Wimbledon on a permanent deal. Best of luck for the future, Bish!”
The post was liked by Rigg, showing his support for the talented goalkeeper.
Chris Rigg should stay with Sunderland for at least another year
Football Insider Verdict
The allure and temptation of joining an established Premier League side is often difficult to reject.
However, those offers will undoubtedly remain on the table for Rigg, no matter how he and Sunderland perform next year.
The 18-year-old has already appeared 72 times for his side and will be a starter Le Bris’ side next season.
But if Rigg were to leave, there are no guarantees that he would receive the first-team minutes that have been so crucial to his development.
Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott are two examples of players who tore up the Championship at a young age but chose to move on when the first offer from a big team arrived.
Whilst the latter was a part of England Under-21’s triumph in the U21 European Championships this summer, he has yet to nail down a starting spot with Liverpool and looks likely to leave, and the former has long since left the Reds and is tumbling down the pecking order at Brentford.