CONFIRMED agreement: According to a source from Sky Sports this evening, Aston Villa and Chelsea have officially reached a fantastic agreement. The young defender for Chelsea will be signed on a loan with the option to buy.

Chris Rigg spoke exclusively with Matty Hewitt to lift the lid on staying at Sunderland this summer, pre-season preparations and life under Regis Le Bris

It’s Saturday, January 7, 2023. A cold and blustery FA Cup third-round tie at the Montgomery Waters Stadium and the clock is ticking towards the 81st minute mark.

Matthew Pennington has just given League One Shrewsbury Town the lead against Championship opposition Sunderland. The Shrews are on the brink of a cup upset, as Tony Mowbray looks to his Sunderland bench and tells 15-year-old Chris Rigg to go and warm up.

To some, it was one final throw of the dice to salvage the tie, for others an acknowledgement that the game was all but over. For the then Black Cats boss, he was about to introduce one of English football’s brightest upcoming talents to the main stage.

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Less than a minute later, Rigg was making his way on to the pitch. Admittedly it’s the most nervous he’s been in his career, but one glance to the crowd and the sight of a familiar face – his dad – put him at

The combative midfielder played his part in ensuring the Wearsiders would avoid a cup upset and complete a dramatic injury time comeback, starting off the move for Luke O’Nien’s 94th minute winner after Ross Stewart had equalised just two minutes prior.

Rigg became the youngest outfield player in Sunderland’s history that night and has gone on to break more club accolades in the 18 months that have followed. He became the youngest goal scorer in the club’s history after netting an equaliser against Crewe Alexandra in the EFL Cup first round at just 16 years, one month and 21 days old

He could have taken 192 days off that tally, had his goal at Craven Cottage stood in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup that year- ruled out due to Abdoullah Ba being offside in the build-up.

A shoutout on Match of The Day for what might have been, it was Rigg and Sunderland’s turn to be denied a fairy-tale moment, with Marco Silva’s side winning the replay at the Stadium of Light.

“That’s where I want to be,” Rigg exclusively tells Chronicle Live as he discusses his remarkable ascent in recent years and coming up against Premier League opposition. “I want to be at the very top.”

The England youth international penned a three-year deal at the Stadium of Light earlier this summer, his first professional contract and a feather in Sunderland’s cap, fending off interest from Manchester United, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.

Arch-rivals Newcastle United have also had a long standing interest in Rigg but he’s turned them down on a number of occasions coming through the ranks at the Academy of Light.

The Black Cats may not have been able to offer a financial package anywhere near those on the table from the European giants, but owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus played a significant role in contract negotiations with the deal believed to be the best first professional contract the club has ever offered.

“I was just waiting ages to get it all done to be fair,” Rigg added. “I didn’t really want to stress about the contract situation, I just wanted to play for Sunderland. It’s a great place to develop my career.”