Spurs need help this summerSpurs need help this summer
Spurs need help this summer | Getty Images
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly tabled a mega-money offer for a West Ham target
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly submitted a £38m bid to sign Sunderland star Chris Rigg, with the North London club said to be ‘determined’ to sign the player from the Black Cats this summer.
It comes after reports from page 55 of the Sun on Sunday, relayed by the Sunderland Echo, claiming the 17-year-old is keen to play in the Premier League to continue his development. Sunderland have reportedly set a valuation of £20m on Rigg, while the Hammers are looking at a deal of around £10m.
Fichajes have claimed that Spurs have already tabled an offer worth almost double Sunderland’s valuation of Rigg. The size of the bid is something that is said to highlight their determination to secure a deal for the player. The North London outfit forked out £40m to sign Archie Gray from Leeds United last summer and were not put off by his young age. The 19-year-old has made more appearances for Spurs this season than he might have expected amid a host of injury woes for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Who is West Ham and Tottenham target Chris Rigg?
Rigg is an attacking midfielder and has spent his whole career with Sunderland. He turns 18 in June and made his professional debut for the Black Cats when he was just 15-years-old, as he came off the bench in a 2-1 win over Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup in January 2023.
He would go on to become Sunderland’s youngest-ever goal-scorer when he netted in a Carabao Cup tie with Crewe Alexandra in August 2023. This season, he has made 34 appearances for Sunderland in the Championship, scoring four goals and providing one assist.
His manager at Sunderland Regis Le Bris said earlier this season the player is wise beyond his years. He said: "I don't think that age is a problem. You can have a high level of maturity at 17 and you can have a low level of maturity at 30, so it depends on the personality of the player and Chris Rigg is a good symbol of what we want to create and what we want to build as a team, as a club.
"He still wants to improve, he still wants to understand the game and if we can share all these ideas, at the end we can feel the energy as a group, as a unit, as a team even against a strong opponent."
Rigg discusses his love for Sunderland
Speaking over the weekend in a video with Sunderland’s official Youtube channel, Rigg affirmed his love for the Black Cats. He said: “I think some people don't realise how much it means to put on a Sunderland shirt and give it your all for the team. I think I can say that I do every time I go on the pitch. So yeah, it's very special for me to be playing, and I'm trying to take every opportunity that comes. Yeah, I think that probably sums it up, to be honest.”
While Rigg has made his love for the Black Cats clear, a potential move to Tottenham or West Ham could prove tough to turn down. Sunderland are unlikely to clinch an automatic promotion spot in the Championship but could be promoted via the play-offs. It is a similar situation to Gray, who missed out on a place in the Premier League with Leeds before opting to join Spurs last summer. If Sunderland are promoted, a deal for Rigg may prove more difficult to pull off.