An update has emerged on Sunderland and their plans to strengthen their academy squad before the end of the summer transfer window…
What's the latest Sunderland transfer news?
According to Belfast Live, the Black Cats are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Glentoran youngster Rhys Walsh before next month's deadline.
The report claims that the talented teenager is spending the week on Wearside but that there are other Championship sides who are keen on securing his services.
Kristjaan Speakman is looking to bolster the development squad and is now eyeing a deal for the 17-year-old gem, who has been described as a 'leading' young talent in Northern Ireland, but will need to beat off competition from rival clubs.
If he arrives at the Stadium of Light on a permanent basis this summer, the club could be securing a prospect with the potential to be Chris Rigg 2.0.
How good is Chris Rigg?
The Black Cats already have one impressive teenager who is threatening to break into Tony Mowbray's set of frontline midfield option this season.
Rigg, who turned 16 in June, has already played four matches for the senior side and recently caught the eye with an outstanding performance against Crewe in the League Cup earlier this month.
The 16-year-old maestro, who has been an unused substitute in the Championship this season, recorded a Sofascore rating of 8.2 as he scored his first goal the club and completed both of his attempted dribbles, whilst the promising talent also won six of his ten duels and completed 91% of his attempted passes.
This performance suggests that Rigg has the quality and physicality to compete at senior level in spite of his inexperience and age, which is why he is such an exciting player for the Black Cats moving forward.
Walsh, meanwhile, has made three first-team appearances for Glentoran to date and has been capped nine times by Northern Ireland at U17 level, which suggests that he is seen as a promising player by his country's youth set-up.
The excellent youngster, who only turned 17 in July, was described as a "fantastic" prospect by manager Warren Feeney. This shows that he has impressed the Glentoran head coach, which is backed up by his, albeit limited, experience with the senior squad at such a young age.
Walsh could, therefore, be a player who has the potential to break into the first-team at Sunderland in the not-too-distant future as he is already on the fringes of the side, just as Rigg is currently for the Black Cats.
Speakman could save himself millions in the future by securing a deal for the 5 foot 8 dynamo now as the left winger could develop into an asset for Mowbray's team and take up a squad spot that would otherwise need to be filled by a proven signing from elsewhere further down the line.
Of course, the risk in buying young players is that they may not fulfil their potential but this way of working has taken Sunderland from League One to the semi-finals of the Championship over the last two seasons, which makes it difficult to question.
