Owen Supports Ngumoha in Fight for Liverpool Future

Rio Ngumoha has barely had time to unpack on Merseyside, but he already finds himself at the heart of a familiar Liverpool debate: stay, scrap and grow at Anfield, or follow the well-trodden route abroad in search of guaranteed minutes.

The 17-year-old, who arrived from Chelsea in 2024, has just come through a genuine breakthrough campaign. Twenty-nine appearances in all competitions, a first senior goal scored with real swagger, and the growing sense that this is not just another academy prospect passing through the system. His potential is straining at the seams.

Next season, that strain meets expectation. Mohamed Salah has gone, leaving a void on the right that no one player can truly replace but someone will be asked to occupy. Ngumoha is very much in that conversation for 2026-27, earmarked for a more prominent role as Liverpool reshape their attack.

At the same time, the transfer machine keeps turning. Liverpool are scouring the market for big-money wide players, the kind of signings that walk straight into the team and stay there. For any teenager, that poses a blunt question: where is the best place to keep developing? On the fringes of a supercharged squad, or as a central figure somewhere else?

The success of English youngsters on the continent hangs over that decision. Jude Bellingham left Birmingham City for Borussia Dortmund and exploded onto the European stage. Jadon Sancho, frozen out at Manchester City, did the same in Germany, his stock soaring with every fearless run in yellow and black. Both stepped out of their comfort zones and were rewarded.

So could Ngumoha be the next to take that leap?

When that idea was put to Michael Owen, the former Liverpool striker dismissed the notion that the winger needs to look elsewhere right now. Speaking to GOAL, Owen drew a sharp line between Ngumoha’s situation and those of Bellingham and Sancho.

“When you look at other players that have gone and done that, a lot of them weren't getting a game or were at a lesser club. So obviously Jude Bellingham was at Birmingham. It was a step up. Sancho was not getting much of a game at City,” he said.

“But Rio is obviously at an unbelievable club anyway, and he's getting a chance, and he's developing nicely. I don't think there's any reason whatsoever to be thinking along those lines.”

The numbers back up Owen’s point. Ngumoha did not spend last season watching from the stands. He played, and he played in meaningful moments. Opportunity arrived partly because Cody Gakpo laboured through a difficult year, unable to find consistent form. When the door opened, Ngumoha walked through it with purpose.

“It's obviously another big season for him,” Owen added. “He got more opportunities last season than he was probably expecting. Mainly because [Cody] Gakpo was underperforming most of the season. And Rio did quite well when he came in, or pretty well when he came in.

“He's still very young and has a lot to learn. He will possibly play a little bit more again this season. Who knows? It depends on his form and Gakpo's form. He's not quite there yet in terms of thinking he's going to be the first name on the team sheet at Liverpool or Bayern Munich. He's still in his developmental stage.”

That developmental stage is being carefully managed. Ngumoha only signed his first professional contract with Liverpool in September 2025, a three-year deal that underlined how quickly he has risen through the ranks. The club are already moving to protect that asset. Fresh terms are being lined up for August, when he turns 18 and becomes eligible to commit to a longer agreement.

Liverpool’s message is clear: they see him as part of the future, not a short-term project.

There is a new face in the dugout as well. Andoni Iraola now leads the Reds into a fresh era, with his first competitive assignment coming at St James’ Park on August 23. An opening-day trip to Newcastle is no gentle introduction; it is a test of nerve and identity, the kind of stage where a fearless young winger can change a game – and a narrative – in a single burst of acceleration.

By then, Ngumoha will be on the brink of that milestone birthday, a teenager standing at the crossroads that define so many modern careers. The Bundesliga route is there, lit by the examples of Bellingham and Sancho. But with Liverpool ready to renew, a new manager willing to look at youth, and a vacancy of sorts on the right flank, the more intriguing question is no longer whether he should leave.

It is whether he dares to seize what is right in front of him at Anfield.