Liverpool managed to sign one of Chelsea‘s brightest academy talents recently, Rio Ngumoha, a move that was not welcomed favourably by the Blues, who have consequently barred the Reds’ scouts from entering Cobham to watch any more of their young and promising players.
The move by Chelsea goes on to explain just how seismic they believe Ngumoha’s loss is. The 16-year-old forward is a significant coup by Liverpool and here is all you need to know about the player.
Early Life
Rio Ngumoha was born on August 29th, 2008. He holds English citizenship, having already featured for the Three Lions’ lower ranks. The player is of a Nigerian descent and therefore, options regarding his international choice going forward remain open.
Those who have worked closely with the 16-year-old describe him as a ‘likeable and humble man‘, while coaches at Chelsea relished the opportunity to coach him while he was at the club. He is the third youngest player in his century to debut for the U21 Chelsea side whereas he has even trained with the senior team on a number of occasions.
Meanwhile, those at Liverpool also acknowledge that they have gotten their hands on a generational talent, as per The Athletic, and describe him as a player already ‘worth £60 million‘.
Career So Far
In September 2024, Rio Ngumoha signed for Liverpool from Chelsea and has been training with his new club’s academy setup. The player is on a standard scholar’s contract at Melwood, where he is paid £1,200 per month and will sign his first professional contract after his 17th birthday next year in August.
It is expected Liverpool will pay him the basic salary offer to first-time signees of new contracts which amounts to £52,000 per year which is subject to increase with performance-related bonuses.
On the field, he dons the number 11 jersey for Liverpool although he has previously used 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 at Chelsea and during his short spell so far with the Reds. It remains to be seen which number he picks when he eventually makes the first team, keeping in mind that youth players rarely get to pick their preferred number.
He is a left winger by trade but is capable of playing on the right flank as well as the offensive midfielder’s position. Such versatility will hold him in good stead at Liverpool going forward as they have been linked with a number of wingers in the recent past.
For the gamers out there, Ngumoha remains without a spot in EA FC 25 as players have to have professional contracts before they can feature in the famous video game.
The Ban on Liverpool
After losing Ngumoha to Liverpool in spite of their best efforts of holding onto the teenager, Chelsea have resorted to banning the Reds’ scouts from entering their youth matches at Cobham, with Manchester United also facing a similar fate.
While the Blues maintain that the decision was taken due to their own scouts being barred from entering Liverpool’s Melwood training complex, the Merseysiders rejected such claims but insisted that any ban on their scouts not being allowed to enter Cobham would be ‘reciprocal’.
Chelsea have not made an official communication to Liverpool to ban their scouts as it does not accord with the Premier League guidelines, however. It will be interesting to see if the FA or the PL themselves investigate the issue but if found guilty, the west Londoners may be hit with a fine.
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