It doesn’t much matter what Liverpool end up paying Chelsea in compensation for Rio Ngumoha; if he maintains his early trajectory, they will be able to name their price should he ever leave.
Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Raheem Sterling, Jamie Redknap – those are just a few of the precociously gifted former Reds eclipsed by the former Chelsea academy player when he swept home a beautiful finish to decide an angst-ridden Premier League contest against Newcastle last month.
Whatever was going through the minds of Chelsea’s coaching staff that night, as Ngumoha became the youngest goalscorer in Liverpool’s history, Thursday’s announcement that he has signed his first professional contract will do little to allay the London club’s sense of grievance over the one that got away.
What happened between Rio Ngumoha and Chelsea?
Long seen as one of the country’s brightest emerging talents, Ngumoha effectively had his pick of clubs from an early age.
Having joined the Chelsea academy at eight, he progressed rapidly and was participating in first-team training sessions by the age of 14.
The club naturally did all they could to keep him but Ngumoha, wary of Chelsea’s lavish spending under the aegis of American investor Todd Boehly and the private equity firm Clearlake Capital, and mindful of the club’s tendency to sell academy players, struggled to see a path into the first team.
Word of his potential availability piqued interest from a host of clubs, including Manchester United, but Liverpool’s track record of affording young players first-team opportunities proved decisive.
There is lingering resentment at Chelsea over Ngumoha’s departure, with Liverpool scouts banned from the club’s Cobham training facility.
Do Liverpool have to pay Chelsea compensation for Rio Ngumoha?
Liverpool are obliged to pay Chelsea compensation for the winger, with the amount to be set by the Professional Football Committee.
Two precedents offer a ball-park indication of the likely figure: the £6.5m Liverpool were ordered to pay Burnley for Danny Ings in 2015, and the £4.3m package awarded to Fulham following Harvey Elliott’s signing in 2019.
Compensation hearings are triggered when clubs are unable to agree a settlement for the development costs of a player under the age of 24 who leaves either before signing a first professional contract or on expiry of such a contract.
How much will Rio Ngumoha earn at Liverpool after signing a professional contract?
Ngumoha’s first such deal comes less than a month after he celebrated his 17th birthday – the earliest point at which a player can commit to professional terms. The winger has agreed a three-year contract that will keep him at Anfield until 2028.
Financially, it marks a significant step up for the attacker, who will earn an estimated annual salary of £52,000, substantially more than the £1,200 a month he took home under his scholar’s contract.
Ngumoha’s contract is likely to contain significant performance incentives, however, with progress rewarded by bonus payments.
While the initial term of three years is the maximum allowed for a 17-year-old, there will be no restrictions on contract length once Ngumoha turns 18.
What milestones has Rio Ngumoha achieved at Liverpool?
All the evidence suggests that, barring disaster, the winger’s next contract will be worth significantly more before long.
When Ngumoha found the net at Newcastle, he was aged 16 years and 361 days. No Liverpool player has scored at a younger age.
It is not the first such accolade the fleet-footed tyro has earned.
In January’s FA Cup meeting with Accrington Stanley, Ngumoha became the club’s most youthful first-team debutant, at 16 years and 135 days.
More recently, his substitute appearance against Atlético Madrid marked a new milestone for the youngest player to represent Liverpool in European competition at 17 years and 19 days.
Ngumoha has been advised by his Liverpool team-mate Mo Salah to “stay humble and work hard”. Assuming he does so, the expectation is that there will be many more achievements to come.
