Chelsea academy star Rio Ngumoha is Liverpool-bound, and Jürgen Klopp may be the reason
As per a report from Liverpool Echo, according to The Daily Mail, former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp may have played a hand in helping Liverpool poach teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea.
Ngumoha, who turns 16 later this month, is capable of playing both centrally and out wide and had already trained with the senior Chelsea team while also turning out for their U18s last season.
According to the report, the path provided for the Liverpool academy players to help them transition into the first team during the Klopp era, which was most prominently on display earlier this year as a Liverpool side studded with academy graduates lifted the Carabao Cup against Chelsea, is one of the key reasons the 2008-born teenager opted for the move to Merseyside.
Ngumoha made 9 appearances for the Chelsea U18s last season across all competitions, producing one goal and assist each in 377 minutes of football.
The Liverpool first team, under their new manager Arne Slot, kick off their 2024/25 campaign against the newly-promoted Ipswich Town on August 17 in the Premier League.
A parting gift
Under the new regime, Chelsea have been keen on filling their senior and academy squads with young talents hoping they come good in a few years as long-term investments. Not being able to hold on to a talent like Ngumoha, and then seeing him join a direct domestic rival would, therefore, really hurt the Blues.
One can only hope that Chelsea can find in their arrivals someone who can not only replace Ngumoha in the academy setup but also similarly excite the fans.
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For Liverpool, on the other hand, Klopp’s parting gift in Ngumoha will take some time before we can declare him a good farewell present, regardless of how good it must feel to be Red right now.
