Ngumoha, Liverpool and picking the right pathway.
Chelsea's academy still had three alumni winning the Club World Cup
One of the stars – or starlets – of pre-season has been Rio Ngumoha, Liverpool’s 16-year-old left-winger who is creating, scoring and taking on opponents for fun. The paths of prodigies rarely run completely smoothly in football, and potential pitfalls can await, whether external influences, the maturing process physically and emotionally. But all the indications are that Ngumoha is on the right trajectory, focused and well-advised, and at the right club to give him support and a stage.
Ngumoha’s sudden rise has inevitably brought close attention on his decision to leave Chelsea for Liverpool last year. Yet his rise has hardly been sudden. Those at Chelsea’s academy who oversaw his development knew he was a star in the making.
Those in charge of the England age-group system were very aware of his promise even before he made his first international appearance, for the Under-15s against Spain in 2023. In keeping with the FA’s directive for junior teams to engage in as many penalty shootouts as possible, Ngumoha took and converted England’s second in a 5-4 shootout win over Japan after a 4-3 friendly win in 2023.
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It's also worth noting in passing that England Under-15s’ first spot-kick was put away by the captain Seth Ky Ridgeon, Fulham central midfielder and son of the hurdler Jon, currently chief executive of World Athletics. Ridgeon is also eligible for Sri Lanka through his mother, Jhansi. Ridgeon has been linked with a series of bigger clubs than Fulham but sees the clear pathway at Motspur Park and signed a long-term deal a fortnight ago.
Sensibly, for those starting out on their career, it's about opportunity more than remuneration. Ngumoha spent eight years at Chelsea, starred for their Under-16s, was called into first-team training by Mauricio Pochettino, failed to agree new terms according to reports, and joined Liverpool’s academy in 2024. He thanked Chelsea’s academy on Instagram. Chelsea were known to be deeply frustrated to lose such a talent, not simply because they receive only compensation for training and development costs but also because they appreciated his ability. Within a year, Ngumoha is being spoken of as having £60m potential.
I do occasional stints on LFCTV and in-house stations can be wary about talking up young talent but the club clearly feel Ngumoha has the right mindset, and can handle the praise, and the local reporters have particularly been singing Ngumoha’s praises. Slot has also lauded him, and it will be fascinating to see how many minutes Ngumoha gets this season, especially in domestic cups. He’s clearly on the right path.