The Blues were devastated after losing one of England's most promising young players to their Premier League rivals
Liverpool barely strengthened their senior squad in 2024. They only signed two players in total, and one of those – Giorgi Mamardashvili – won't even arrive at Anfield until next summer. However, on September 4, the Reds announced the addition of one of the most highly-rated under-age players in English football, Rio Ngumoha.
Even though the Premier League concluded that no rules were broken and the size of the compensation fee has yet to be determined, Chelsea were allegedly so enraged by the loss of the most exciting prospect to come out of their famed Cobham academy for years that they blocked scouts from Liverpool attending youth-team games. The Blues have denied that accusation, but their frustration is both real and understandable.
At just 16 years of age, Ngumoha is considered a potential generational talent, an outrageously skilful winger that former Chelsea captain John Terry says already "is – and will be – a top, top player."
And now he really has arrived. So impressed with what he's seen in training, Arne Slot's already handed the teenager handed his senior debut, which came in Liverpool's FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley.
Where it all began
"The love [of the game] started at four or five, watching my brother player and it was like, 'What's this football?!'" Ngumoha recently explained in an interview with Lovell Soccer's .
He started out playing cage football, "trying to nutmeg guys and get past them", and quickly caught the attention of scouts from all of England's top clubs because of scintillating skillset.
"Around six or seven, I was going through the pre-academy stage, going to many different academies and you just try to do your best," he said. "When they all want to sign you, you have to be humble, but it's a big thing, and for your family as well."
Liverpool were interested in signing Ngumoha even at that stage, but he ended up joining Chelsea instead.
AdvertisementThe big break
The word was already out before Chelsea's Premier League Cup final win over Wolves in April that the Londoners had a potential superstar on their hands. However, Ngumoha's performance at Molineux made him the most coveted young player in England, with the then-15-year-old capping a dazzling display with a solo strike.
Manchester United went all out to sign Ngumoha, and he even spent some time with the Red Devils in June. However, it eventually emerged that the youngster, and his brother James, who is a big influence on Ngumoha, favoured a move to Liverpool as it was felt that there was a much clearer path to the first team at Anfield.
It's even been claimed that Liverpool beating Chelsea in last season's Carabao Cup final with seven academy graduates within their ranks played a part in Ngumoha's willingness to move to Merseyside, and there's undeniably a perception within the game that whereas the Blues are intent on accumulating as many expensive young talents as possible (and are particularly well-stocked in wide areas), the Reds remain more willing to give youth a chance.
Getty Images SportHow it's going
Ngumoha has yet to score his first goal for Liverpool at any level, but he's racking up the assists and impressing everyone with his pace and dribbling skills, both in the Under-18s Premier League and the UEFA Youth League.
It also didn't take long for him to catch Slot's eye. By November, he was already training with the senior squad and, the following month, the versatile forward was named on the bench for the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Southampton at St Mary's.
Fast forward to January 2025 and the 16-year-old was starting on Liverpool's left wing for his professional debut against Accrington Stanley – the youngest player to ever start a game for the Reds.
Indeed, the teenager handled the occasion superbly well, showing plenty of encouraging moments with the ball at his feet. And what would have been particularly pleasing for Slot was the sight of Ngumoha not being afraid to try things, with the youngster often driving forward and committing defenders, while he rarely gave the ball away during an impressive 72 minutes on the pitch.
Biggest strengths
What immediately stands out about Ngumoha are his ridiculously fast feet. He's got a wonderful ability to shift the ball from one boot to the other at lightning speed before accelerating away from his man.
Put quite simply, he’s a nightmare for right-backs to come up against, so it's come as no surprise to see under-age teams doubling – and sometimes trebling – up on him.
Not that the extra attention bothers Ngumoha. On the contrary, he seems to thrive off it, as he's as fearless as he is direct.
This is not a kid that lacks ambition. When asked what he'd like to achieve in football on , he replied, "I really believe I can win the Ballon d'Or one day. I want to be regarded as one of the best players to ever play football and be a legend of the game."