If a report from The Sun (the print edition on Sunday, as cited by Sunderland Echo) is believed to be true, West Ham United have joined Inter Milan and Newcastle United in the hunt for Chris Rigg. The Hammers are weighing up a summer move for the Sunderland youngster and will step up the chase if the Black Cats fail to secure Premier League promotion.
The England youth international progressed through Sunderland’s academy set-up before breaking into their senior side in January 2023. He eventually secured a regular role from the backend of the previous campaign and has emerged as one of the key individuals in Régis Le Bris’ first-team squad with 36 appearances so far this season.
While he has netted four goals and laid on once in 34 Championship outings, Rigg’s versatility in midfield should see him succeed in West Ham colours. Predominantly a midfield attacker, the teenager has shown immense maturity as a ‘number 8’, wide attacker and even centre-forward on a few occasions. With 61 first-team appearances already at the tender age of 17, the sky is the limit for the Black Cats prodigy.
Graham Potter succeeded Julen Lopetegui as the Irons boss at a critical juncture. Although they have further dropped a couple of places at the wrong end of the league standings, the Englishman is working towards implementing his philosophy and vision given the scope of experiments with little fear of relegation.
Why West Ham United Should Snap Up Rigg
However, the former Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea chief does not have enough tools to execute his style of play. Most of his options are misfit for his passing and pressing game, yet the gaffer is forced to go with a flat three-man midfield of Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek.
Soucek and Ward-Prowse have impressed with their work rate and box-to-box movements. But they are traditional midfielders who struggle to retain possession under pressure and offer little resistance against the press. Alvarez’s disciplinary issues have troubled West Ham time and again since his high-profile £33m switch from Ajax, and the Bosman arrival of Guido Rodriguez has gone all wrong for the Hammers who are now desperate to offload the Argentine in the upcoming summer window.
West Ham’s creative midfield outlets have been largely disappointing with Carlos Soler likely to return to Paris St-Germain after failing to impress on loan. The future of Lucas Paquetá remains uncertain amid the fears of a life ban following the allegations of breaching betting rules. Andy Irving has only been handed a bit-part role, and Rigg, though far from the finished product, could be an integral part of the Irons’ future if fulfils his potential under Potter.
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