Sunderland receive potential double contract boost following Regis Le Bris appointment | OneFootball

The arrival of Le Bris is set to give Sunderland a major chance of keeping Dan Neil and Chris Rigg

Sunderland's appointment of Regis Le Bris as the successor to Michael Beale has bolstered the chances of the club keeping hold of not only Chris Rigg, but Dan Neil as well.

The Black Cats will be looking to build on what was a disappointing previous season in the Championship, as they finished 16th in the league standings despite having hopes of gaining a play-off spot.

And with the Wearsiders confirming the appointment of 48-year-old Le Bris last month from FC Lorient, Sunderland will now be turning all their focus to setting up for next season, which will include player recruitment and contract renewals.

Sunderland's search for a Michael Beale replacement had been ongoing for four months before appointing the Frenchman, despite the 48-year-old being unable to keep Lorient in the top flight, and leaving by mutual consent at the end of last season.

There is still hope that Le Bris will be the man to take the Black Cats forward though, and to do that, he will need to keep hold of his star players and brighest assets.

One of those is teenage starlet Chris Rigg, and despite plenty of doubt over his future already this summer, Fabrizio Romano broke the news on Monday that he was set to remain on Wearside and sign a new contract.

And per claims made by the Northern Echo, Sunderland finally making a breakthrough with their manager pursuit and appointing Le Bris as head coach has allowed Rigg to make his mind up and commit his long-term future to Sunderland amid a whole host of interest from multiple Premier League clubs.

Whilst Rigg was eased into Championship action, Dan Neil was also more of a key asset for Sunderland throughout last season, with the 22-year-old starting all but four of the Mackems' Championship fixtures, and chipping in with nine goal contributions throughout that time.

It was recently reported by talkSPORT's Alex Crook that Sunderland had offered Neil an extension to his current deal, which expires in the summer of 2026, but the midfield maestro had turned it down, with a significant part of that being because of the lack of a Beale replacement at the time.

However, with a new manager at the helm, this could now see the Black Cats hierarchy reach a breakthrough with Neil and his representatives, as noted by the Northern Echo, who claim that talks will now recommence to try and get the 22-year-old to commit further.

Sunderland should cash in on Dan Neil this summer if new contract cannot be agreed

WIth Le Bris now in place at Sunderland, you'd imagine that it may be a little bit easier now for Neil to commit his future to the club he has been at since he was a child.

However, nothing is set in stone, and despite being part of a side who on the whole disappointed last season in the Championship, Neil was one of the individual shining lights, and the likes of Liverpool have showed their interest in 2024.

Sunderland are secure for at least one more year due to Neil's contract situation currently, so there's no desperation to cash in on him anytime soon, but if there's going to be a time where Kyril Louis-Dreyfus can get the best price for him, it will be this summer.