Liverpool Should Build Around Teenager Rio Ngumoha

Liverpool hasn’t exactly scrimped on attacking talent in recent times. This summer, the Anfield club spent $163m to sign Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain only 12 months after Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz arrived in the summer transfer window of 2025 for a combined $438m.

Andoni Iraola boasts one of the most expensively assembled forward lines in European soccer and yet it is a player who has come through Liverpool’s youth ranks that is currently making the most profound impact. Rio Ngumoha might be the Reds’ most effective attacking figure at the time of writing.

Ngumoha certainly made the difference for Liverpool against Villarreal in the Champions League. The 18-year-old contributed two assists as the Premier League fought back from 2-0 down to ultimately win 4-3. It’s doubtful Liverpool would have been able to pull off such a comeback without Ngumoha on the field.

“I am really happy with Rio,” said Iraola when asked about the impact of the teenage winger. “He is trying to improve everything that we try to correct. He is playing a lot more on the right and he has adapted really well. He’s going more inside. He struggled defensively in the first half. The second half was much better. He’s becoming a more complete player. He’s still only 18.”

Liverpool under Iraola is a work in progress. Injuries to key players such as Ekitike and Isak haven’t helped the new manager get his ideas across in the early part of the season, but it’s clear in the way Liverpool has played recently that Iraola has yet to strike the right balance.

This extends to the forward line where Liverpool has some elite-level talent. Isak was one of the best strikers in the Premier League when the Anfield club signed him from Newcastle United. Barcola was part of the PSG team that won back-to-back Champions League titles. Ekitike is also a superstar.

Ngumoha, however, is willing to put in the work on both sides of the ball. He can play on either side, as he did in the match against Villarreal when he had an influence on the left and ring wings. Iraola should build around the 18-year-old until such a time that he can properly balance the rest of his team.

Fans always embrace a young player who has come through the youth ranks and while Ngumoha is technically a Chelsea academy graduate he embodies what Liverpool wants to be as a team. Iraola might not have worked out the right equation in all areas of the pitch, but Ngumoha is providing solutions.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com