"Unbelievable" - Roy Keane name checked in Sunderland, Chris Rigg transfer verdict | OneFootball

Sunderland's FLW fan pundit believes the club could be set for a cash windfall when Chris Rigg leaves the Stadium of Light

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Chris Rigg has been labeled as Sunderland's most valuable player in the long-term following an impressive start to the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

Regis Le Bris' side have taken the Championship by storm ahead of the international break, winning each of their opening four encounters to ascend to the summit of the league table. Despite eventually losing star winger Jack Clarke to Ipswich Town for £15m, Sunderland have made a flying start to the new season and look unstoppable at the minute after claiming victories over Cardiff City, Sheffield Wednesday, Burnley and Portsmouth.

Divisive yet ambitious French owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus appears to be approaching fruition in his recruitment philosophy of signing young, low-cost talent, with Romaine Mundle stepping up to replace Clarke and Eliezer Mayenda returning two goals in the second-tier so far.

Youth will surely be the cornerstone of any success Sunderland achieve in the immediate or long-term future, yet Academy of Light graduate Rigg has also been hugely impressive in Le Bris' first few matches in the dugout.

Sunderland, Chris Rigg transfer claim made

Rigg became a first-team regular last term at the tender age of 17, reportedly attracting interest from the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Sunderland's bitter Tyne-Wear rivals, Newcastle United.

But ahead of the current campaign, where he was finally able to pen professional terms, Rigg allayed fears over his future by signing a new three-year contract which will keep him at Sunderland until 2027.

Given Rigg's high potential and proven quality at such a young age, his status as a homegrown academy product and now being on a long-term contract, Football League World's Mackems fan pundit Eddy Bamber believes the teenager to be the club's most valuable player to eventually cash in on in the future.

"In the long-term, Sunderland's most valuable player is Chris Rigg," Eddy explained to Football League World.

"He's two years younger than [Jobe] Bellingham but he's shown so much more. He looks more mature, he has more confidence, more ability. He made a tackle on Saturday [in Sunderland's 3-0 win at Portsmouth] which actually won possession back for the counter-attack for the third goal.

"Peak Roy Keane would have been unbelievably proud of that tackle! The sky is the limit with Rigg.

"I think we will be selling him for at least £20m when the time comes, he's already got attention from some of the Premier League clubs but his dad, who is known to be a Newcastle fan, was apparently instrumental in making him sign a new contract at Sunderland to make the most of the opportunity he's got - and he's grabbed by both horns.

"He's a guaranteed starter in our starting eleven now, but he's consistently growing. You can see on the pitch, every game he plays is better than the last. I would say he's already worth between £10-15m and by the time he gets to 19, he's knocking on £20m.

"Unbelievable player, we need to protect him."

Sunderland should have Leeds United's Archie Gray sale in mind with Chris Rigg

Rigg is already standing out in the Championship years before many of the division's finest have even begun finding their feet in years gone by.

Considering the aforementioned factors, then, he most certainly appears to be the player who will net Sunderland the most significant cash influx when he inevitably moves on at some stage.

His departure would be a testament to both Sunderland's player development and astuteness by tying him down to a long-term contract. His trajectory at the moment, however, bears undeniable parallels to Archie Gray at Leeds last season.

Stylistically similar in terms of his positional awareness, composure in possession and willingness to put in strong tackles, Gray flourished at Elland Road before earning a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur worth between £30-40m after just one season playing for Leeds' first-team.

Rigg is certainly in the conversation of being as good as Gray was - if not even better - and Sunderland could actually hold out for much more than what Eddy has tipped them to receive if they play their cards right.