Sunderland are now confident of getting Chris Rigg and Dan Neil to sign a new contract on Wearside, as per The Northern Echo.
After announcing Regis Le Bris’s hiring little over a week ago, Sunderland can now turn their attention to the upcoming campaign.
Although the Black Cats still have a lot of work to do this summer, the pressure from the fan base has decreased for the hierarchy since the appointment of their new head coach.
The 17-year-old Rigg is possibly Sunderland’s best potential. The 17-year-old midfielder is now qualified to sign a professional contract. He scored twice in the league during the previous season while playing in 21 Championship games for Sunderland.
Neil, 22, represented his boyhood club in 42 second-tier games. The previous time, he assisted five goals and scored four.
This summer, there have been a few contract conflicts involving both guys. Although Rigg and Sunderland had an agreement in principle, he had not signed because he wanted to wait to find out who would be the new head coach.
However, Neil’s present contract is still valid for another two years. The 22-year-old turned down an extension at Sunderland this summer because of the head coach predicament.
According to The Northern Echo, Sunderland is optimistic that Rigg will sign the new contract shortly and is certain to stay with the team past this summer. Rigg is reportedly a key component of their plans for this season.
Now that Le Bris is on board, they plan to press for a breakthrough with Neil in other areas as well.
positive indicators
Both Rigg and Neil are two big players for Sunderland.
The centre midfield duo are exciting talents and they are both destined to play in the Premier League one day, with or without Sunderland.
However, if Sunderland can keep the pair at the club for an extra season then it will only boost their chances of success this time around.
Le Bris is known for working with young players and his proven track record in this department should help when it comes to making connections with these type of players.
Improvement needed
Sunderland finished 16th in the second tier last season. The Black Cats ended the season woefully under interim head coach Mike Dodds.
They must find improvement from the off this season and whilst it remains to be seen what is a realistic expectation of the club this year, they definitely need to be int he top half as a minimum.
Le Bris starts work today and he has two weeks of preparation on the training pitch before pre-season friendlies start.
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