West Ham United have completed the signing of Manchester City prospect Daniel Rigge, with the youngster penning a scholarship contract.
As confirmed by the club’s official website, West Ham United have captured the services of highly-rated teenage prospect Daniel Rigge from Manchester City on a scholarship contract.
The 16-year-old midfielder is widely regarded as one of the finest young talents in England. He had been attracting plenty of interest from several clubs in the Premier League. Indeed, The Sun reported that Liverpool had offered the teenage prodigy a trial while the likes of Leicester City and Wolves were also keen on landing the teenager.
However, it is West Ham who have beaten the competition to land Rigge, with the youngster penning a scholarship contract. The teenage starlet had spent time at the Hammers’ academy on trial earlier this year before returning to Manchester City to see out the 2021/22 campaign.
Upon completing the signing, Rigge said: “It’s very good to be here. West Ham United is a club that is on the up, and last season the team did very well. It was great to see the first team in Europe too.
We are delighted to announce that Daniel Rigge has signed Scholarship terms with the Club! ✍️
An England U16s international midfielder, Rigge joins the Academy of Football from Manchester City following a successful trial in Claret and Blue.
— West Ham United (@WestHam) June 10, 2022
“The West Ham Academy is renowned for bringing young players through. The Academy has an incredible history and I’m looking forward to being a part of it. I’ve been really impressed with what I’ve seen in terms of the setup. The Academy house looks really good and it felt like a family when I first visited, which was a great feeling.”
Rigge is currently a part of the England Under-16 setup. The teenager will join the West Ham United academy that has produced some exciting players of late. Declan Rice has grown into a household name at the club and international level, while Ben Johnson has established himself as a regular in the team.
Sonny Perkins is another exciting prospect coming through, although West Ham United are staring at the risk of losing the striker. The teenager will be out of contract at the end of the month, and clubs are circling to sign him, with Leeds United and Aston Villa already opening talks to snap him up this summer.
