Amidst the hustle and commotion that followed Sunderland’s temporary climb to the top of the Championship leaderboard with a victory of 1-0 against Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light last Saturday, Regis Le Bris, the club’s low-key French head coach, addressed a query regarding the match’s lone goalscorer.
The star of the moment, young Chris Rigg, demonstrated immense intelligence, skill, and calmness to masterfully back-heel the ball from a tight angle into the net, scoring a remarkable goal in front of a crowd of 43,000.
When questioned about Rigg’s maturity-to-age ratio, Le Bris said, “Age isn’t a factor. At 17 one can possess high maturity, while low maturity can exist at 30. It’s all about the personality.”
Despite his modest preference for verbal delivery, Le Bris’s remark was heard loud and clear. He was addressing an evident point requiring reiteration, and it was the perfect time to do so.
Several miles afar, Aaron Connolly must have inspected Rigg’s goal, paid heed to Le Bris’s observations, and reflected on it. After all, he too was once that 17-year-old. Now at 24, he perfectly fits into Le Bris’s reference to age maturity.
Just two days later, Connolly found himself in a direct conversation with Le Bris about joining this emerging squad characterised by the remarkable Rigg.
Arriving in Wearside devoid of a kit but loaded with personal baggage, Connolly’s journey is quite noteworthy. It’s been five years since he made his mark against Tottenham by scoring two goals in his first Premier League game for Brighton. His senior debut for the Irish international team followed just a week later. Connolly, with his robust aggression, quick pace over 20 yards, as well as his skill, drew similarities to Wayne Rooney. Irish football believed to have discovered their answer to Robbie Keane. Everyone expected his trajectory to only go up, or so it seemed.
At the tender age of 17, Connolly kickstarted his Brighton career in the League Cup. By 19, he was stepping onto both Premier League and international fields. The 2019-20 season saw him rise and fall within the Brighton squad lineup, culminating in his decisive goal that marked victory over Burnley in their season finale. Connolly, at 20, was the future. His future seemed bright and promising under the coaching and mentorship of Graham Potter.
However, the road to the top is not self-charting. In the following season, although Connolly remained a key element for Brighton, he struggled to keep pace with the growth of the squad and the development of the overall team. His attention began to waver, notably with the emergence of Pascal Gross, Yves Bissouma and Alexis Mac Allister in the midfield, and the repositioning of Leandro Trossard and Neal Maupay to the front, both ahead of Connolly.
The 2021-22 season kicked off with Connolly still an integral member of Brighton’s primary squad, with him featuring in the mid-December home league match against Wolves. Nevertheless, this proved to be his final showing for Brighton. Fast forward a month, and Connolly was opening on the pitch for Middlesbrough in the Championship, celebrating his 22nd birthday a fortnight later.
At Boro, Connolly’s pitch performance did not spark excitement – his off-field stories did. After a mid-season return to Brighton, his next move was a loan to Venezia in Italy. Aware of his downward career spiral and the negative influences around him, he hoped for a career shift in Italy.
However, Italy was not the fresh start he envisioned. A planned year-long loan converted into six stagnant months, following which he moved to Hull City. Signing for Liam Rosenior, Connolly came full circle – Rosenior had featured in the same lineup when Connolly was introduced to Brighton’s first-team in 2017.
Now inching towards 23 and heavier according to Football Yearbook records, the sprightly 17-year-old showed enough potential to persuade Rosenior to offer a somewhat more permanent setup – a one-year contract in the summer of 2023. Connolly did have his moments of brilliance as evidenced by his double goal from the bench leading to a win at Blackburn, reviving the optimists’ mantra of “There’s still a player there, if …”
Last season, Connolly featured in 30 matches for Hull and came on as a replacement for Will Keane in an international match in France in September. However, whispers about his conduct off the field persisted. In January, he suffered an unlucky concussion at a game with Norwich. Following this, he only made four appearances as a substitute, cumulating in a mere 65 minutes playtime. Connolly appeared out of shape and his time in Hull came to a close.
The ensuing summer found Connolly, a striker with no goals to his name in 2024, and at 24 years of age, a free player whose maturity was under scrutiny. Hence, the new season started with Connolly devoid of a club.
As the months rolled on from July to August to September, no fresh opportunities arose. Everyone acknowledged his inherent talent, but Connolly’s reputation cast a shadow over the consensus.
Unbeknownst to us all, Connolly was undertaking a personal reassessment of his identity and future ambitions, reflecting seriously on his situation.
According to insiders from Sunderland, his self-reflection began well before the previous Saturday. This was confirmed by his appearance at Sunderland’s training grounds on Monday, where he held talks with Le Bris and sporting director, Kristjaan Speakman. By Tuesday, Sunderland confirmed that Connolly had signed a deal lasting till the season’s end. By Wednesday, the club was sharing photos of a noticeably slimmer Connolly in training gear.
Speakman commented, “Aaron requires an opportunity to rebuild his image and to overturn preconceived notions about him as a sportsman.” He added that Connolly’s fall from grace – from scoring in the Premier League and representing his country, to his current predicament – shows that we all cope differently with hurdles.
On his part, Connolly acknowledged the need to progress in his career following some recent difficulties. If the evident physical transformation correlates with a change in mindset, then Connolly may have resonated with Le Bris’s views on maturity.
The relatively unfamiliar Le Bris appears to have adopted this stance by Thursday. Aged 48, Le Bris is experienced in nurturing young talent and, importantly, he understands the pressures of being a prized 17-year-old player, having played as a centre-half for France at that age.
“Le Bris’s recollections of the unexpected impact are vivid, which he described as an unusual phenomenon for individuals, pointing specifically at Connolly as someone who may have let himself go overboard. Patioing his discourse with kindness, he broaches the intriguing journey from childhood to adulthood, focusing on the disparity between the two. He underlined that setting foot on this journey is merely a commencement, far removed from senior football,” he stated.
In Sunderland, they have developed their unique programme for nurturing talent, and the phrase finds its perfect embodiment in Rigg, and another youngster, Bellingham, who now own the midfield. Last Saturday, the team’s median age stood at 23, making Connolly a significantly elder figure among them. Le Bris forecasts Connolly’s return to the field post the international break.
The duo delved into a substantive discussion on Monday, during which Connolly was very candid about reminiscing his 17-year-old self. “Quite blunt in his discussions, he did not beat around the bush and appeared to have digested the lessons from his past. He was seemingly comfortable speaking about anything,” Le Bris highlighted.
When probed about Connolly’s maturity, Le Bris responded affirmatively but stressed on the necessity of validation over time. “Our understanding will develop in the upcoming weeks and months through his performance and our interaction with him,” he added.
On Connolly’s physical appearance, Le Bris replied, “Definitely, there’s been a sea change in that aspect. His once bulky frame has now turned lean and fit.”
As for this being the ‘salon de la derniere chance’, his response was uncertain. “We’ll have to wait and see.” According to Le Bris, numerous out-of-contract players were assessed, most of whom were dismissed due to various factors in their profiles. However, Connolly made favourable first impressions both on paper and in person.
Le Bris signed off with a beaming face. Their next encounter is an away match against Watford. With five victories in their first six games, Sunderland is on a high, providing an optimum atmosphere for Connolly’s growth.”
Progress isn’t always guaranteed. Coincidentally, 17 years ago in the very same room, Roy Keane filled the seat of Le Bris and speculated about a young Irish footballer standing at a fork in the road, his future uncertain. This was at Sunderland’s last chance saloon, then known as the Glass Spider.
He thought Anthony Stokes had potential to become an exceptional player in half a decade, or he could end up in non-League – his future could go either way. At the time, Stokes was just 19, and his story is well-known. Now, Connolly is 24, and the Glass Spider has ceased to exist. If he’s managed to change as Sunderland hopes, then he deserves all the best.