Daniel Rigge: Profile, playing style, scouting report

Daniel Rigge joined West Ham last season from Man City

Reports are emerging that West Ham and highly regarded player Daniel Rigge are set to agree to a new long-term contract.

The 2006-born midfielder turned down interest from two La Liga teams and four Premier League clubs in favour of a future with West Ham.

In June 2022, Daniel Rigge earned an academic contract with the West Ham United Academy.

With 24 appearances in every competition and two goals against Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur, Rigge had a strong debut campaign with the Hammers.

The offensive midfielder assisted Kevin Keen's team in winning both the FA Youth Cup and the U18 Premier League South section trophy, giving the young Hammers a historic double.

How did West Ham beat top clubs to sign Daniel Rigge?

Youngster Daniel Rigge was signed by West Ham from Manchester City, beating off a number of Premier League competitors.

The coveted midfielder, 16, signed a three-year contract with the Hammers before joining a number of different Premier League clubs.

Rigge had been given a trial with Liverpool's youth teams, but he opted to accept the solid offer from West Ham instead, despite interest from Wolves and Leicester City.

Rigge has been followed by the residents of east London for some time.

With Manchester City's approval, the midfielder played a handful of matches on trial for the Hammers in January before going back to finish the season up north.

Playing style of Daniel Rigge

One of West Ham's most widely anticipated prospects is Rigge. The 17-year-old appears to be in scorching touch so far this campaign in the Under-18s Premier League, netting three goals in four games, notably one on Saturday (30 September) in a 2-0 victory over Norwich Under-18s.

The attacking-minded midfielder from England's junior team joined the Irons last summer after leaving Manchester City.

He has a fantastic pedigree, having progressed through Man City's system, perhaps the greatest in the world right now, and been shaped over a period of a year at West Ham.

Rigge undoubtedly has quite a ways to go, but the amount of interest in him, particularly from abroad, shows that this young man may have something unique.

Romano's statement is reassuring since it demonstrates that West Ham appears to be a decent club for young players to be at, which is promising moving forward as we hope that we can see the future Declan Rice develop in East London.