A tribunal may have settled the fee Liverpool will have to pay Chelsea for Rio Ngumoha, but they could face a fight on their hands to retain another highly rated young talent
Liverpool teenager Rio Ngumoha
Liverpool teenager Rio Ngumoha(Image: Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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The European adventure may have ended for their Academy players. But this week has seen two other notable events for Liverpool's next generation.
On Thursday it emerged the Reds had been ordered by a tribunal to pay at least £2.8million to Chelsea for the signing of Rio Ngumoha back in September 2024, a fee that could rise by another £4m if further add-on conditions are met. The Londoners will also received 20% of the profit if Liverpool sell Ngumoha.
And earlier the same day, 15-year-old Josh Abe posted a photo on Instagram lacing up his boots with the caption he was taking part in first-team training.
Abe had on Tuesday afternoon become the youngster player to feature for Liverpool in the UEFA Youth League when, aged 15 years 201 days, he came off the bench midway through the second half of the 2-1 round of 32 defeat in front of more than 10,000 at MKS Zilina in Slovakia.
Liverpool regularly call up Academy players to bolster numbers during first-team training sessions - one of the bonuses of having all the age groups on the same Kirkby site - but the inclusion of the highly-rated Abe was particularly timely.
With Chelsea having been upset at losing Ngumoha to the Reds, there was a suggestion earlier this season they are preparing an attempt to lure Abe to the capital.
Such tit-for-tat dealings between what are regarded as Category 1 academies have become a growing reality in recent years, with such rivals having previously concentrated on acquiring talent from lower categories.
Abe is already causing a stir since making his debut for Liverpool under-18s in September, notching five goals and two assists in the U18 Premier League North with three goals coming in his last two outings.
The challenge for Liverpool now is to convince Abe - who recently signed with Tyler Alexander-Arnold's PLG Agency and has subsequently visited Real Madrid - his best opportunity of development and progress to senior football is by staying on Merseyside.
Ngumoha, then, represents an example of the pathway that exists between the Academy and the first team at Liverpool that has also seen 18-year-old Trey Nyoni become a regular squad member for Reds boss Arne Slot during the past 18 months.
The winger is one of six players to have featured in the Premier League aged 17 or younger this season, and with 76 minutes in the competition has managed more than the five others combined.
Four of them - Bradley Burrowes of Aston Villa, Manchester United's Bendito Mantato, Joel Drakes-Thomas of Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur youngster Juna'ai Byfield - have played for fewer than 20 minutes while Arsenal's Max Dowman, now 16, has 27 minutes.
“That tells you something about his quality, because it’s not completely normal for a 17-year-old already to have as much playing time as he had," said Slot of Ngumoha earlier this month.
And speaking earlier in the season, the Reds boss said: "Every time when he comes training with us we see what his qualities are. He can dominate one-v-one situations, he is very quick on his feet, he can change directions really fast.
“I’m always happy if a player makes his debut that he shows what we see on the training ground as well, so the fans could see it.”
Ngumoha's Premier League appearances have come over eight different substitute outings, the most notable of which was of course his instant impact when netting the dramatic late winner at Newcastle United back in August to become the youngster goalscorer in Liverpool's history aged 16 years 361 days.
With two starts in the League Cup, one in the FA Cup and a couple of outings from the bench in the Champions League, Ngumoha has 13 appearances totalling almost 350 minutes.
It would have been more but for the understandable reluctance of Slot to expose both Ngumoha and Nyoni during Liverpool's difficult autumn when victories of any sort were rare, let alone those with a comfortable margin that provided a game state in which the youngsters could prospoer. Indeed, it's notable Ngumoha's longest outing from the bench was during 6-0 Champions League win at home to Qarabag last week, while Nyoni had a major part in the final goal of the match.
Next weekend's FA Cup fourth round clash at home to Brighton represents another chance for meaningful action for both players. And Liverpool will hope any minutes serve as a reminder to Abe and his fellow youngsters the pathway to the first-team at Anfield remains very much open.