As the 16-year-old gets ready to make a significant decision about his future this summer, Mike Dodds claims he has informed Chris Rigg that sticking on Wearside will be best for his future.
When Rigg turns 17 in June, he’ll be able to sign his first professional contract. It’s believed that Rigg and Sunderland worked out the terms of the arrangement when he signed his scholarship last summer. The gifted midfielder is still being courted by elite teams throughout the continent, but he has time to make his own decisions until he signs a professional contract.
Dodds has recently handed Rigg a number of starts against elite opponents, and although the acting head coach admits he has no idea how long the 16-year-old will stay with the team, he thinks Sunderland has demonstrated that they will support him in realizing his potential.
“I’m not involved in those kinds of conversations, so I’m not quite sure what the circumstances are, but I adore Riggy and he is aware of my feelings: in my opinion, if he doesn’t sign, he’s crazy. Because of our belief in young players and the opportunities we present to them, Sunderland is currently a fantastic opportunity for young football players. The work being done in the background to develop our young players—not only Riggy—look at Dan Neil, Trai Hume, and Dan Ballard. His performances are gradually improving, and to be honest, if he feels that there is currently a better place for him to be, I’d like to see it. Simply put, I believe that this is an amazing club to play for as a young player right now.
At the end of the current season, Sunderland will name a new head coach. However, according to Dodds, it is quite likely that the selected individual will have experience developing players, and he does not believe that Rigg’s status as a possible first-team player for the upcoming campaign will be affected.
If Rigg signs his professional contract as arranged, Dodds feels his recent performances “definitely” put him in the running to challenge for more starts at the start of the upcoming season.
“Anyone they choose to hire as the next head coach—and you are as aware as I am about that appointment—they will need to understand player development and working with young players,” Dodds stated.
You simply won’t bring someone in who is the complete reverse of that because it’s a youthful group. Therefore, if someone has experience with player development, which they will, they will be able to recognize Chris Rigg’s amazing talent and potential right away. That isn’t even anything that has occurred to me because the next person will have that history.