Chelsea 'furious with Liverpool' over Rio Ngumoha transfer with tribunal needed

Liverpool convinced hotly touted wonderkid Rio Ngumoha to join it this summer. His former club Chelsea, however, was understandably disappointed in this outcome.

In fact, the Daily Mail’s Inside Sport column has gone so far as to describe their club officials as “seething” with the Reds. It has reported that a tribunal will be held to determine how much compensation the Blues will receive from Liverpool for Ngumoha.

This is hardly a surprise, as it has happened in the past for higher profile players than the 16-year-old. In 2015, the Reds were ordered to pay a record tribunal fee of $10.4m (£8m/9.5m) including add-ons to Burnley for Danny Ings, and he went straight into the first team at the time.

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Chelsea’s anger looks set to be justified. Ngumoha was crowned player of the tournament when the Blues’ Under-16s became national champions in 2023. He is unquestionably one of the most talented youngsters currently in English football.

The Liverpool starlet also has incredible belief in himself, recently going so far as to say he is aiming to become acclaimed as the greatest player in the world. "I truly believe I can win the Ballon d'Or one day. I want to be regarded as one of the best players to ever play football and be a legend of the game,” he said when speaking on Lovell Soccer’s Inside The Academy.

The youngster has been continuing his development with both club and country this season. At Liverpool, Ngumoha has made four appearances in the Under-18 Premier League, with his most notable contribution an assist in a 2-2 draw with Leeds.

He has also appeared twice in the UEFA Youth League, featuring against Milan and Bologna. While the Reds’ youngster missed the clash with RB Leipzig, that was thanks to representing England’s under-17 side in European Championship qualification matches.

Ngumoha has made three appearances in that competition, with the Three Lions scoring four goals in victories each time. Again, he hasn’t found the net but did set up a goal, in a 4-0 win over Malta.

Liverpool’s acquisition of Ngumoha passed the five-step approval process which the Premier League has in place to ensure deals of this nature involving youngsters are above board. Even so, it is understandable that Chelsea is disappointed to have lost a player of such exquisite talent.

It will be fascinating to see what the tribunal orders the Reds to pay. It’s looking likely to be worth it, whatever the price.