It should be remembered that Chelsea were more than a little peeved at their failure to hold on to Rio Ngumoha.
The teenager star, billed by those internally at Stamford Bridge as one of football’s “ones to watch”, was snapped up by Liverpool back in 2024 in what was viewed as a coup of a transfer.
The Reds had to pass the Premier League’s rigorous five-step investigation process to get Ngumoha’s transfer over the line.
Fast forward to 2025 ahead of the 2025/26 season, and the 16-year-old has further senior minutes under his belt.
Rio Ngumoha dazzles against Preston North End
The teenager played a crucial part in Liverpool’s opening goal in their pre-season trip to Deepdale to face Preston North End.
Footage shared on X (formerly Twitter) by @asim_lfc caught the end of Ngumoha’s dazzling dribble in the first 45 minutes of action.
Rio. Chiesa. Bradley. 1-0 to the Reds. #LFC pic.twitter.com/KtuyLNVqAQ
— Asim (@asim_lfc) July 13, 2025
Rio Ngumoha is unstoppable 1 v 1. pic.twitter.com/q9FnsOITLm
— Watch LFC (@Watch_LFC) July 13, 2025
The former Blues star picked up possession in space on the left flank before cutting in toward the 18-yard box.
The left-winger beat one man before supplying Federico Chiesa in the box. The Italian international subsequently skipped his way past danger behind enemy lines before passing to Dominik Szoboszlai who ultimately assisted Bradley’s opener.
A pretty slick move from Arne Slot’s visitors – and all kicked off by Rio Ngumoha’s brave dribble.
What did the stats say about Ngumoha’s Liverpool display?
Sofascore handed the young footballer a 7/10 rating for his 45-minute display at Deepdale on Sunday afternoon.
The attacker had 21 touches on the ball and enjoyed an impactful first-half of action:
13/14 passes completed (93%)
1 key pass
2/2 dribbles completed
2/3 ground duels won
Possession lost once
Drew one foul
It’s still too early to say definitively whether or not Ngumoha is going to be play a prominent role with Liverpool’s senior squad this term.
However, if he can continue to impress when called upon in pre-season, the 16-year-old is going to give Arne Slot some serious food for thought ahead of the campaign.
At the very least, we’re sure the club will be keen to speed up contract talks with Ngumoha!
Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobile
