Wolves are in a desperate situation at the bottom of the Premier League and could turn to the transfer window for a source of inspiration.
It’s been a disastrous start to the 2024/25 campaign for Wolves, who are currently winless in their opening 10 matches this term.
The Old Gold host Southampton on Saturday, in what is a huge relegation six-pointer that could decide the future of boss Gary O’Neil.
O’Neil has won just one of his previous 20 Premier League matches, with such form remarkably keeping him in the hot seat at Molineux.
If the 41-year-old somehow survives till the January transfer window, he could get the opportunity to strengthen his squad and he already has one target in mind.
Wolves have transformed their recruitment policy under O’Neil, with a focus on signing youngsters who can develop into the finished article.
The Wanderers captured a number of young players aged 21 and under during the summer, most notably Pedro Lima, Rodrigo Gomes and Bastien Meupiyou.
Now, a report from Caught Offside suggests that Wolves could add to that plethora of talent by landing Sunderland attacking midfielder Chris Rigg.
It is claimed that, while European powerhouses Real Madrid and Manchester United have ‘set their sights’ on the 17-year-old, other Premier League clubs are monitoring his progress, including Wolves.
Rigg has emerged as one of the most ‘exciting’ talents in the EFL, scoring three times in 13 Championship appearances this term, starring in their pursuit of promotion back to the Premier League.
Given his incredible talent, potential and the fact his contract doesn’t expire till 2027, Sunderland reportedly want at least €30m (£25m) for the teenager.
With Wolves previously outlining their stance of not spending big in future windows, that could rule them out of a move for Rigg, who could be worth the figure touted.
Since emerging onto the scene as a 15-year-old in 2023, Rigg has drawn many plaudits for his footballing ability, with Carlton Palmer even comparing him to the great Paul Gascoigne.
Gascoigne, who hailed from the North East just like Rigg, became one of the finest ever English players to grace the beautiful game.
He was a goalscoring midfielder who could pull off some unbelievable pieces of skill on the football pitch, starring for the likes of Tottenham, Rangers, Lazio and Middlesbrough while featuring 57 times for England.
At such an early age, Palmer comparing Rigg to Gascoigne just proves what an incredible young talent he is, telling Football League World: “If he continues in the same form, and I don’t make this too fine a point, the last player to come out of that neck of the woods with that sort of talent was Paul Gascoigne, this boy is in that class, so Sunderland are not going to sell him on the cheap.”
Wolves would love to have a talent on their hands as quality as Rigg however, the number of top clubs interested and the high asking price suggests there is little chance the teenager would switch the North East for Wolverhampton.