Rio Ngumoha has announced himself on the Premier League stage.
The precociously talented 16-year-old came off the bench on Monday for Liverpool in the 96th minute against Newcastle United and scored the winning goal in a thrilling 3-2 encounter four minutes later.
Ngumoha’s sumptuous finish into the right-hand corner left goalkeeper Nick Pope rooted to the spot and meant he had created history by becoming Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorer, at 16 years and 361 days old.
His match-winning cameo followed on from an excellent pre-season, when Ngumoha became the talk of Merseyside with a string of standout performances off the bench against Preston North End, Stoke City and Milan — not forgetting his goals against Yokohama F Marinos and Athletic Club.
Such has been the impression Ngumoha has made on Arne Slot since making his senior debut in the FA Cup in January, the manager does not view the left wing as an area that needs strengthening, even though the club sold Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich in July.
And just 48 hours after Arsenal’s Max Dowman made his Premier League bow aged 15, Ngumoha has become the latest teenage sensation to make his mark on England’s top flight.
Here is The Athletic’s explainer on the Liverpool player’s background, contract situation and the tribunal that will determine how much his old club, Chelsea, will receive in compensation.
Why does he wear Rio on his shirt?
Put simply, it is his first name and he feels comfortable with it on the back of his shirt.
Ngumoha, as Monday night proved, is a confident teenager and it’s likely he will stick with ‘Rio’ on the back of his shirt as opposed to his surname.
Another Liverpool player to do this is Virgil van Dijk, who has ‘Virgil’ on the back of his top.
Ngumoha’s squad number, 73, will also not be changing this season.
Dan Sheldon
Why did he leave Chelsea?
Chelsea has long been regarded as one of — if not the — best academies in English football, with a production line to back it up.
And after Ngumoha toured the country as an eight-year-old to visit Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, among many others, he eventually decided on Chelsea.
His progress was rapid and was certainly being tipped as one of the next best talents coming through the ranks. During the 2023-24 campaign, the teenager began joining in training sessions with the first team. Then-head-coach Mauricio Pochettino made it clear he was a huge admirer.
Chelsea did their utmost to convince him to sign a new deal, but his decision ultimately came down to seeing a pathway into the first team.
Since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium took over in 2022, Chelsea have spent a lot of money on new signings and sold academy players for pure profit to help balance the books.
Ngumoha playing for Liverpool against Chelsea in an academy game earlier this year (Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Ngumoha was realistic about the challenge being at a club like Chelsea provided, but was still ambitious about getting game time in 2024-25, especially after the club qualified for the UEFA Conference League. Seven academy graduates had made their debut in 2023-24, including Alfie Gilchrist and Josh Acheampong.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking anonymously to The Athletic to protect relationships, say negotiations appeared to be progressing well. But ultimately it came down to Ngumoha being unconvinced a pathway existed into the first-team setup at Stamford Bridge — a sense that contrasted with Liverpool’s own pitch for his services.
Simon Johnson
How did Liverpool convince him to join?
Just as had happened when Ngumoha was an eight-year-old, he again had every top Premier League club knocking on his door when it became clear he was leaving Chelsea.
He visited Manchester United in June 2024 and listened to the plans they had in store for him, but Liverpool were always in pole position. United ultimately knew this, but still pushed for his signature anyway.
Liverpool were able to offer — and importantly show — a genuine pathway into the first team, using the Carabao Cup final in 2024 as an example of how they trust young players in big games.
And making Ngumoha their youngest-ever starter in the FA Cup by playing him against Accrington Stanley in January was further proof that they were serious about his pathway into the senior setup.
Dan Sheldon
Do we know what kind of compensation Chelsea can expect?
As it stands, a tribunal is yet to decide how much Liverpool have to pay Chelsea in compensation.
Although Ngumoha’s switch to Liverpool passed the Premier League’s five-step approval process, and he left at the expiration of his contract, Chelsea are still entitled to receive a fee.
The Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC) is tasked with deciding how much that should be, with the verdict non-negotiable. It can also add bonuses for when and if Ngumoha hits certain milestones.
Liverpool have been down this road before in terms of being told a fee by the PFCC.
They were ordered to pay Burnley £6.5million ($8.8m) for Danny Ings after they signed him as a free agent in 2015, with the PFCC also stipulating the potential for a further £1.5m in add-ons, as well as paying Burnley 20 per cent of any profit they make in the event they sold the striker.
Ngumoha on his Liverpool debut in January (Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
And when Liverpool signed Harvey Elliott, then aged 16, who had already featured for Fulham’s first team, in 2019, the PFCC awarded Fulham guaranteed compensation of £1.5million, plus a further £2.8m in potential add-ons.
Given the fee for Elliott totalled £4.3m, you would expect Chelsea to be pushing for a figure in that ballpark — especially as their anger towards Liverpool extended to restricting their scouts from attending academy games at Cobham.
Dan Sheldon
Why is the tribunal process taking so long?
A tribunal is only necessary when a player under the age of 24 moves clubs before signing their first professional contract or at the expiry of their professional contract.
The PFCC hearing concerning Ngumoha will require the clubs to provide evidence as to why they think he is worth the valuation they either want to pay, in Liverpool’s case, or believe they should receive in Chelsea’s.
When deciding what the compensation should be, the PFCC takes multiple factors into account, including age, playing record, length of time Ngumoha was at Chelsea, the status of both clubs, and, among other considerations, the terms offered by both teams.
As for why this process is dragging on, the Premier League declined to comment.
The Premier League’s rulebook states the PFCC must be composed of an independent chair, an appointee of the Premier League, a representative from the Professional Footballers’ Association, and one additional person who is to be appointed by the chair, with “experience of academy player identification and recruitment and/or has specialist valuation and data experience”.
Any decision the PFCC makes regarding compensation is final and binding.
Dan Sheldon
Why does he have to wait until his 17th birthday to sign a contract?
As per the English Football Association’s rulebook, a player has to wait until their 17th birthday before they are allowed to sign a professional contract, but only when they are no longer in full-time education.
It is also worth noting that the longest contract a 17-year-old can sign is three years, and a parent or legal guardian must give written consent for the deal to be agreed and the registration completed.
At the moment, Ngumoha is on a standard scholar’s contract of £1,200 per month, but is set to sign his first professional contract once he turns 17 at the end of this month.
Ngumoha and Slot after the victory over Newcastle (Daniel Chesterton/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Liverpool’s payment structure for first-year professionals is currently limited to a basic salary of around £52,000 a year, but the contracts are heavily incentivised with bonus payments to ensure progress is rewarded.
After signing Ngumoha from Chelsea, Liverpool insisted they did not break their payment structure to convince him to join, although there is an understanding he will be well rewarded once he turns 17.
Dan Sheldon
What is next for him at Liverpool?
Slot has already integrated him into the first-team setup after an impressive pre-season and will now decide how often he is used on a matchday after showing that he’s ready to make an impact.
There’s no rush to increase his minutes, although equally, there is a strategic plan to provide a pathway. It’s why, last season, he became the second-youngest player ever to represent the club.
Liverpool have also dismissed reports of a move for another high-profile wide attacker this summer, playing down links to Real Madrid’s Rodrygo and Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain.
With Cody Gakpo well established as the senior left-forward, they believe Ngumoha will provide cover and may get the opportunity to start some of the games in the cup competitions.
Part of the reason Liverpool allowed Diaz to leave was because they also felt there was a chance Ngumoha could replace him in the years to come.
The ongoing interest in Alexander Isak will not impact the winger’s development either, as he’ll remain a part of the squad regardless of what happens in the closing days of the transfer window.
Gregg Evans
(Additional reporting by Simon Johnson and Gregg Evans)
(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
