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Forest's interest in Chris Rigg and Tommy Watson has been played down by the Black Cats' fan pundit

Nottingham Forest have been deemed as the wrong club for either Sunderland starlet Chris Rigg or Tommy Watson to move to in January after reports of the Tricky Trees' interest in both players recently emerged.

Sunderland have been the Championship's surprise package for 2024/25, and have set the pace at the top of the second-tier so far with impressive performances week-in, week-out under recently-appointed head-coach Regis Le Bris.

Le Bris' faith in young players is paying off so far this term, and the key beneficiary of their trust in youth has been star prospect Chris Rigg, who looks destined to have a stellar career at the top level in the future.

Rigg is still only 17-years-old, yet plays beyond his years and has been one of the Black Cats' leading stars this season amid interest from some of the biggest teams in world football.

18-year-old winger Watson has been a standout in the Sunderland academy in recent seasons, and has won suitors from a host of top clubs due to his potential, while earning a breakthrough into Le Bris' senior side in recent months.

He made his professional debut for the club in April last year, and he has been backed to become a regular in the Black Cats' first-team for the years to come, alongside young talents such as Rigg, but both players have now seemingly attracted the interest of a new Premier League outfit.

Sunderland fan pundit plays down Nottingham Forest interest in exciting duo

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.

HITC recently claimed that United’s hierarchy are looking closely at a deal as Sunderland brace themselves for offers, while the likes of City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Dortmund, Bayern, Leipzig, Real Madrid and Barcelona each still maintain an interest in his services.

Watson, meanwhile, was the subject of reported transfer interest from Forest, Brighton and Scottish giants Rangers last year, and the former look to have reignited their chase for him, as well as his teammate Rigg, after transfer journalist Alan Nixon claimed that Nuno Espírito Santo's side are looking to complete an ambitious double deal in the new year.

It would certainly come as a shock if either player made the move to the City Ground from Sunderland in the January window, and FLW's Black Cats fan pundit, Jay Woodhead, believes that neither Rigg nor Watson will take that step, albeit for different reasons, after we asked him if Forest would be the right club for either player.

“Chris Rigg has got a lot of potential, and no disrespect to Nottingham Forest, but he has had a lot, lot bigger clubs come in for him," Jay told FLW.

“The likes of Newcastle, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, teams like that. I think Forest wouldn’t be the best move for him.

“In regard to Tommy Watson, I think he’s not really good enough yet to make that step up.

“I think he needs a move to League One or League Two, to kind of cement his place at Sunderland.

“Forest is a bit of an ambitious move for him, but again, I can’t see us selling to them.

“I don’t think they’d offer enough money for them, and I don’t think Forest would be the right club for either Rigg or Watson.

“We should be setting high price tags, if they are interested, just to scare them off. They’re a side that wants to splash the cash.

“Regardless, I don’t think Forest would be a well-suited club for either player. Watson needs a bit of time out on loan to kind of build himself to the man that he needs to be to play in the Championship.

“Then obviously Rigg has got lots of big clubs keeping tabs on him, so I think Forest would have to put a very big bid in to secure his services.

“I can’t see Forest being the club for them.”

Forest would be a shock move for Chris Rigg or Tommy Watson

If talk of some of the biggest clubs in world football being interested in making Rigg one of their own in the near future is to be believed, then it would definitely come as a big surprise to see him lining up in the red of Nottingham Forest in a few months' time.

Forest are undoubtedly a big club, and are doing brilliantly in the Premier League under Nuno Espírito Santo's guidance this season, yet their pulling power is not that of a Liverpool, Manchester City or Real Madrid, and Rigg is definitely on the right path to be playing for such a club very soon.

He has been a regular starter in the second-tier 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, while he also netted in a 2-1 win over Luton Town last month.

Watson may be a year older than Rigg, but his influence on the Black Cats' senior side has been a lot less to date, and so a move to Forest seems unlikely for other reasons as he has barely played much in the Championship, so the step-up to the top-flight seems like one too far at this point in his career.

He has played six times in all competitions under Le Bris so far this term, and made his first start for the club last week against Preston North End, so a January loan move out seems like the strongest possibility for him to continue his development while getting regular game-time, ahead of more involvement in the Black Cats' senior side next season.