Tony Mowbray draw is obvious but Birmingham City, Sunderland deal looks unlikely: View | OneFootball

Birmingham City still have a fight on their hands to retain their Championship status for another campaign.

It has been a very frustrating campaign for the Blues, as they are now on their third manager of the season after the surprise dismissal of John Eustace and the underwhelming appointment of Wayne Rooney.

Tony Mowbray has now been tasked with keeping the club in the second tier and then taking them further up the table next season.

January was a chance for him to make some fresh additions to the squad, and that was something they did.

But despite the window only just shutting, there are reports suggesting that Sunderland’s Chriss Rigg could be a target in the summer transfer window.

Chris Rigg has a lot of expectation on his shoulders, as the youngster made his debut for Sunderland at 15 and is highly regarded in the game.

The Sunderland teenager is said to be attracting interest from a number of clubs, including Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, as well as German champions Bayern Munich.

According to the Sunderland Echo, Championship side Birmingham City are also interested in the player, as he’s well known to Mowbray having given him his first-team debut last season.

interest from Man United.

The Sunderland youngster isn’t allowed to sign a professional contract with a team yet due to his age, but that wouldn’t stop him from being sold to another club in the mean-time.

If he were to walk away from Sunderland at the end of this scholarship deal, then the Wearsiders would be entitled to a fee determined by a tribunal.

The 16-year-old is clearly highly rated and has several interested parties in him, but it seems unlikely his next move will be to Birmingham, despite the Mowbray link.

Birmingham City look unlikely to sign Chris Rigg

As just mentioned, it is understandable why there may be talk about Birmingham being interested in Rigg.

The Blues are now managed by Mowbray, who was in charge of Sunderland when Rigg made his debut at the club.

The midfielder appeared three times for the Black Cats last season under Mowbray, with all those appearances coming in the FA Cup.

He has since gone on to make another eight appearances for the Black Cats, with them all coming in this campaign - sevenof those have been in the Championship and they have all been off the bench.

The wonderkid so far averaging around 15 minutes per game, which he will hope improves as the season progresses, and should an injury or two hit Michael Beale's engine room, then he could be called upon.

Rigg has one goal to his name so far, and that came in the 5-0 win over Southampton earlier in the season - his first ever Championship appearance.

The Sunderland youngster is still not being rushed by the club, but when he is on the pitch, he does seem to be making an impact, whether it's via his pressing or if it's trying to make things happen on the ball.

Rigg will just be focused on playing more for the Black Cats between now and the end of the season, but it seems once this campaign is over, he will have a big decision to make.

You can understand Birmingham’s interest, as they will hope having Mowbray in charge will mean they have a better chance of signing the midfielder, as he’s got a good record with youngsters.

But, given the sides that are interested in Rigg, it seems very much a long shot for the Blues to secure this signature in the summer.