Former England international and current pundit Carlton Palmer has dismissed reports of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ interest in Sunderland starlet Chris Rigg and believes that he will only leave the Black Cats for a similar fee to the one Spurs paid Leeds United for Archie Gray.
Sunderland have been the Championship’s surprise package for 2024/25, and recently-appointed head-coach Regis Le Bris’ faith in young players is paying off so far this term, with 17-year-old Rigg the key beneficiary of his trust in youth.
Midfield starlet Rigg plays well beyond his years and has been one of the Black Cats’ leading stars this season, so he looks destined to have a stellar career at the top level in the future.
Football Insider have recently claimed that Premier League side Wolves are interested in making a move for Rigg soon, but he is expected to quit Sunderland for a bigger club than the Black Country outfit, amid strong competition from some of the biggest teams in world football.
It looks as though Rigg’s next destination won’t be Molineux, with the player expected to move to a “bigger club”.
Carlton Palmer gives realistic Chris Rigg, Wolves verdict
Rigg’s rapid ascent to the Black Cats’ senior side saw him begin to train with the first-team under Tony Mowbray last year when he was just 15-years-old, and he became the second-youngest player in the club’s history when he made his debut in January 2023, then emerged as a regular in the senior side last season, with 22 appearances and three goals in all competitions.
This term has seen his performances go up another level altogether, and the 17-year-old has earned major plaudits throughout English football for his standout showings, as he has been a regular starter since the start of this campaign and bagged important goals against Middlesbrough and Leeds United while earning the Championship Young Player of the Month award for September
Rigg is destined to go on to achieve big things in the game, and former player and current pundit Palmer rubbished talk of him joining Wolves anytime soon, as a result, when speaking exclusively to Football League World, and compared the potential price for his signature to the near £30m that former teenage Championship starlet Gray left Leeds for Spurs for in the summer.
He said: “It’s no surprise to hear that Chris Rigg won’t be leaving Sunderland to join Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“I don’t think Wolves would be in the market to sign a player of Chris Rigg’s ability. (Sunderland) will be wanting huge money for him, similar to the Archie Gray fee.
“Rigg, without a doubt, is the most talented player in the championship.
“He will go on to have a top career in the Premier League and is going to be a top, top footballer, so no disrespect to Wolves.
“At this moment in time, there is no panic for Chris Rigg. He’s only 17, is playing regularly, and was given the Championship Young Player of the Month award for September.
“He’s being coveted by big clubs. Manchester United, Real Madrid and Chelsea are all monitoring his progress.
“At some point, I do expect Rigg to move on.
“If Sunderland are going to sell him in the January transfer window, which I think would be crazy, then they are going to want 50 to 60 million pounds to part with him.”
Rigg has been the subject of transfer interest from some huge clubs
Rigg’s breakthrough last season was well- documented, as he became one of the Black Cats’ most important players in the second-half of the campaign, and the Sunderland Echo reported in February that his performances had earned interest from the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
He stayed at Sunderland beyond the summer, though, as HITC revealed last month that he had rejected respective offers from Manchester United and Newcastle United, while his improved form this season has reportedly seen him garner further attention from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
| Chris Rigg 2024/25 Championship statistics | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 14 |
| Starts | 13 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Successful take-ons per 90 | 1.17 |
| Shot-creating actions per 90 | 2.83 |
| Fouls drawn per 90 | 1.58 |
| Stats as per FBref | |
The race for the 17-year-old’s services is definitely set to heat up as January beckons, and HITC also recently claimed that Manchester United’s hierarchy are looking closely at a deal as Sunderland brace themselves for offers, with sources believing that a deal could be agreed in January, which would then see him make the move to Old Trafford next summer.
Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City are all believed to have spoken to Rigg’s representatives, while the likes of Dortmund, Bayern, Leipzig, Real Madrid and Barcelona each still maintain an interest in his services.
New reports from the Northern Echo also claim that the Black Cats will resist all approaches for the teenager during the January transfer window, and that the club are aware of United’s interest.
His three-year contract that was signed at the Stadium of Light in the summer has given the club a lot of power in potential transfer dealings, but while a move away does seem inevitable at some point in the future, a switch to Wolves looks very unlikely regardless, due to his ceiling being much higher than that of the Molineux club.
