Tony Mowbray's Birmingham reportedly eyeing raid for top Sunderland youngster

Birmingham boss boss Tony Mowbray is eyeing an ambitious raid on former club Sunderland for Chris Rigg, according to reports.

It was Mowbray who gave Rigg his debut last season, making the then 15-year-old Sunderland’s youngest ever outfield player.

Rigg broke further records this season by becoming Sunderland’s youngest ever league goalscorer against Southampton and the League Cups’ youngest scorer against Crewe.

Sunderland have big plans for him, and he is expected to sign his first professional contract on Wearside when he turns 17-years-old this summer.

However, according the Sunderland Echo, Birmingham have joined the likes of Bayern Munich and Liverpool in hoping they can persuade Rigg he will have a better chance of success with them.

Sunderland are very confident of keeping Rigg, though, and new boss Michael Beale has already used him in the first team.

He, like everyone else, is incredibly impressed with what he has seen.

"It's very hard for a player of his age to be any further forward than he is," Beale said of Rigg.

"I like his mentality, it's the mentality of a young boy from the local area who is living his dream, and it's important that he keeps that because I think it could take him a long, long way.

"You can talk about the technique he's got, the passing, but I think that mentality is his super strength. With all young players, it's how long you can keep that. He can play a part now, if we play with two eights high or a flat three at times, he can give us real balance on the left of that.

"I was pleased with Riggy when he came on against Stoke, I was very pleased with him.

"We don't want to talk about age because we believe in their talent, but for someone so young, he showed me that he wants to be involved, he doesn't just want a bit-part role. He wants to play.

"I think it was always going to be the second half of the season that you were going to see him more, but that depends on a lot of factors doesn't it. You always felt it would be that way but there's always fitness and form [to consider] as well.

"He came on against Stoke and contributed, he's got a no-fear mentality. He's a lefty and that gives you a really good balance in the team, too. That's really important to any possession-based team, like we are."

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