The Reds announced that Ngumoha had agreed to his first deal with the Premier League champions on Thursday, nearly a month after marking his 17th birthday. ..Continue Reading
“Rio Ngumoha has signed his first professional contract with Liverpool FC,” a statement read on Liverpool’s official site.
“The forward, who arrived at the Academy in September 2024 having previously been at Chelsea, has made five senior appearances for the Reds to date – most recently in Tuesday’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Southampton.
“Ngumoha netted a 100th-minute winner in a 3-2 victory at Newcastle United last month, on the occasion of his Premier League debut.”
The gifted attacker joined Liverpool last summer from Chelsea, where he had been part of the youth setup since the age of eight.
Chelsea were disappointed to lose Ngumoha, who later became the youngest player to start a senior match when he was named in the starting lineup against Accrington in the FA Cup earlier this year.
Ngumoha’s journey, though still in its early stages, has seen rapid progress in recent months, including his involvement in Liverpool’s pre-season tour of Hong Kong and Japan.
The youngster also made history as the club’s youngest goalscorer after coming off the bench to score the decisive goal in a 3-2 win at Newcastle, and became their youngest participant in European competition following his substitute appearance against Atletico Madrid last week.
His swift ascent has earned him the first professional deal of his career.
Ngumoha, however, is currently banned from the Liverpool dressing room.
This isn’t due to misconduct or disciplinary action from head coach Arne Slot, but rather because both Liverpool and Ngumoha must adhere to a strict regulation that prevents the forward and his teammates from sharing a changing space.
FA rules state that players under 18, who are legally considered minors, must not change in the same room as adults.
It was a rule that Mikel Arteta deemed ‘unbelievable’ earlier in the year when Ethan Nwaneri was unable to get changed alongside his fellow Arsenal first-teamers.
“Ethan cannot be in our dressing room still, which is unbelievable. He needs to get dressed somewhere else, even on match day,” the Gunners boss said last season.
Nwaneri has since reached 18 and is now permitted to use the Arsenal senior dressing room on matchdays.
The England prospect has made four official appearances for Arsenal this season, coming off the bench in games against Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.
However, Max Dowman, who won’t turn 16 until year’s end and became the second youngest Premier League player after Nwaneri when he came off the bench against Leeds last month, is also restricted from using the Gunners’ main changing room.
Likewise, Ngumoha, who won’t reach 18 until next August, remains unable to access the Liverpool dressing room until then.
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