Kristjaan Speakman delivers verdict on Chris Rigg's future at Sunderland amid transfer speculation

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has delivered a frank verdict on Chris Rigg’s future at the club, suggesting that the Black Cats would like to keep the teenage sensation for as long as possible, but also admitting that “sometimes players will progress faster than the club”.

The young midfielder has been a real success story of Sunderland’s impressive early showings this season, and has established himself as a key member of Regis Le Bris’ first team, scoring two goals in the process. Subsequently, he has emerged as a reported target for a number of high profile clubs from across Europe, including the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United.

And speaking during an in-depth interview with The Second Tier podcast, Speakman addressed the speculation surrounding the Black Cats’ newest talisman. When asked about Rigg’s eye-catching rise, he said: “Really, really pleased for him because he's such a good kid. And also, there was a lot of speculation last season on him coming out of the U21 team and his academy contract - will he stay, will he go somewhere else? - and I think for our football club to be able to retain talent like that, as we have done, I think is a really, really positive thing.

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“But then we've also got to believe in that talent and give them the opportunity, and obviously he's had opportunities in the team and he's taken those opportunities. I'm really, really pleased for him, and hopefully that gives a good inspiration to the other players in our academy system that when the opportunity's there, they'll be given time on the pitch.”

Speakman was then asked about mounting interest in Rigg, to which he responded: “The interest is always a backhanded compliment. Would we rather have a team full of talent where everyone is talking about buying and trading our players, or would we rather have a group that no one's really interested in? I think it's not a hard question to answer. So we try to put ourselves in the right position around our contracts and how we manage our squad, etc. We try to provide that opportunity. We try to ensure that we're aligned with the players.

“I think I've always said that sometimes players will progress faster than the club and there'll be another opportunity for them. We have to respect that. We lost young Jack [Clarke] in the summer and he moved on to Ipswich, which I think is the way that the football system works. I don't think we have any issues with that. We'll just take every decision, every event as it comes, and try to deal with it appropriately.”

The Sunderland sporting director was also quizzed on just how far Rigg can go in the professional game, to which replied: “I think I've always been a big believer with young players that we have to be really, really careful that we don't binge on them and oversubscribe to greatness. I think one of the things I've always felt really passionate about is that we don't put a ceiling on where players can get, but everybody has to reach their ceiling. And for some players, that'll be Champions League, for some of those players, it'll be League Two. Chris has the credentials, if you like, and the mentality, especially, to play at the highest level. It's difficult to get there - that's why so few do it. And we'll do everything in our power while he's with us to be able to enhance that and obviously support him to get to the highest level.

“But he's like every young player. They should be dreaming about playing at the very highest level. Their ambition should be to be playing for England and in the Champions League final. I've seen it done, so I know it can be done. And like I said, on the way through, there'll be people that'll be sceptical. But the player has to believe.The player has to be a dreamer. He has to keep the same mentality when he came through the door at nine years old, dreaming about playing for Sunderland. Him, Dan Neil, Anthony Patterson, they're all doing it, which is obviously fantastic.”