Who is Rio Ngumoha, the Wonderkid Liverpool Poached From Chelsea

Liverpool have gotten one over on Premier League rivals Chelsea after poaching Rio Ngumoha from the west London club. The 16-year-old sensation is touted to be one of the next huge stars to emerge from the Cobham academy.

Jamal Musiala, Reece James, and Declan Rice are the biggest-name superstars in world football to come from Chelsea’s never-ending production line of supremely talented footballers. Ngumoha’s move to Anfield is being heavily talked about as another example of a young player the Blues will eventually regret letting go.

More than two months after the news first broke, Liverpool have hurdled the Premier League’s five-step review which is used to scrutinise every academy transfer. Here’s why the Reds were so keen to snap up a teenager hailed by Chelsea icon, John Terry, as a “top player”.

Liverpool Reportedly ‘Break Historical Wage Structure’

Ngumoha is highly regarded at the club

Fabrizio Romano revealed the teenager had decided to swap Stamford Bridge for Anfield in July as Liverpool closed in on Ngumoha. The journalist also stated that the Merseyside-based club were so keen on bringing the player in, that they were willing to break their previous wage structure for academy players.

According to The Sun, that previous structure saw players in the Liverpool academy earn a maximum of £50,000 annually. This comes along with other guidelines put in place for the young players at the Premier League club to adhere to. Youngsters are also said to not be allowed a car with more than a 1.3-litre engine, and they must hand their mobile phones in at 8:30am every day at the training round. Those rules will likely still be the same for the incoming Ngumoha, although the wage structure is set to be broken.

Ngumoha’s Highlights Are Brilliant

The wonderkid looks like a real handful

Ngumoha made his first appearance for Chelsea’s Under-21 team when he was still only 15 years old. In the Under-18s Premier League, the English starlet scored once and registered a further assist from his nine appearances. The ability to compete against older players bodes well for his future as players in modern football are emerging on the biggest stage at much earlier ages than before.

Lamine Yamal is the biggest example of this as the Spanish winger was already drawing comparisons to Barcelona legend Lionel Messi at the age of 16 years old. It may be ambitious to say Ngumoha will reach those heights in the next year, but his highlights suggest he could be set for a meteoric rise in the next few seasons.

He often plays as a left-winger, and his quick feet and close control make Ngumoha a nightmare for opposing defenders to deal with, as he’s capable of going either down the line or cutting inside and having a shot at goal. The wide player has a direct nature and a strong eye for goal.

Two-footed players are a rare breed in the sport, but the former Chelsea wonderkid looks more than capable of playing a defence-splitting pass or firing in a deadly shot at goal with either his right or left foot. Should he break into the Reds’ first team in the coming years, fans will likely be excited by the tricky dribbler.

He Joins a Long List of Talented Youth Players

The path to the first-team at Liverpool is clear

The 2023/24 season saw many youngsters allowed to shine under Jurgen Klopp. The German manager may have moved on, but the expectation is that Arne Slot will continue to work closely with the academy to bring through the next crop of talented players.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones are two current first-team stars who grew up in the system as Liverpool-born players. Jarell Quansah, Harvey Elliott and Conor Bradley are among the most impressive players to have been signed to the academy initially before getting a chance in the senior side.

Klopp had to turn to a number of these youth players as Liverpool defeated Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final in 2024. Should Slot keep up this trend of handing roles in the first-team squad to the most promising players at his disposal, it may not even be too long before Ngumoha features in a senior game. To begin with, the teenage forward will join up with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s under-18s squad before plotting his route to the first team.

It Could be Another Chelsea Mistake

The Blues have allowed so many top players to leave

An example of a player Chelsea let go before going on to massively regret it is Liverpool’s star man, Mohamed Salah. Kevin De Bruyne is yet another Premier League-winning player who was once on the books at Stamford Bridge before being allowed to move on for a relatively low fee.

The duo are still two of the best players in England and could have been teammates if things had gone differently. This adds to a long list of youth players the Blues have parted ways with over the years. Musiala, Rice and Michael Olise are among the best players to have departed the club before making it to the senior team. All three have become prominent figures in world football and Ngumoha will hope to have a similar success story.

Much like many of his lofty predecessors, Ngumoha was disheartened by the blockade that existed between the academy and the first team. Despite producing an endless torrent of elite talent, few graduates make it onto the pitch at Stamford Bridge – and the few who do are increasingly likely to be sold. In the same summer that Ngumoha moved north, Chelsea shipped off Ian Maatsen, Conor Gallagher, Lewis Hall and Omari Hutchinson for more than £120m combined. The latest young prospect to move on didn’t hang around long enough to generate a large sum, and any compensation Liverpool have to pay will be decided by a tribunal.

All statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 5th September 2024.