View: Sunderland may face desperate battle to keep hold of talented gem as Arsenal links emerge
Sunderland face a battle to keep hold of Chris Rigg – and indeed Anthony Patterson – as Arsenal had scouts present at the Luton Town encounter watching the pair.
Rigg has been remarkable for Sunderland this season and has earned his plaudits week in and week out at just 17 years old. The level of maturity in his performances has been astounding and not once has he looked out of place.
The highly-rated youngster has three goals from midfield this season, one of which resulted in him winning both club and league goal of the month awards.
However, with such high levels of performance, interest is going to circle and Arsenal are the latest giant to be linked with a move for Rigg, according to TBR Football [24 October].
Keeping Chris Rigg will be a challenge in January for Sunderland
If Sunderland are to keep Rigg, they will likely have to fend off serious interest this January. Arsenal are just one of many big clubs in Europe to have been linked with the 17-year-old, who has already established himself as a first-team regular.
His goal against Luton just epitomised everything about him. Calm, composed and able to score big goals in big games.
Perhaps his biggest attribute is his mentality. Rigg is fearless but most importantly, mature. Both as a player and as a person.
For a player of his age to showcase the mentality he has is very rare but to have that mentality with as much ability he has is almost unheard of.
It is important to consider just how good Sunderland are as a club to Rigg as well. He is playing regular football at a good level and developing. A move in January could scupper that development as has been seen with many promising youngsters in the past.
Arsenal’s interest is a concern for Sunderland, but supporters will have full faith in the club keeping him for a little while longer yet.
In other Sunderland news, Carlton Palmer believes that Sunderland should have one eye on promotion before considering their right to activate a buy-clause in Wilson Isidor’s loan deal.
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