‘A case of when, not if’ – The Athletic writer reacts to huge news coming out of Liverpool today | OneFootball

On Thursday afternoon, Liverpool FC announced that Rio Ngumoha has signed his first professional contract with the club.

A month has elapsed since the teenager’s fairytale Premier League debut, when he came off the bench to score a 100th-minute winner for the Reds away to Newcastle in a 3-2 thriller.

Since then, the 17-year-old has been given his Champions League bow and was handed a start in the midweek Carabao Cup win over Southampton.

New Liverpool contract for Ngumoha ‘a case of when, not if’

In an article for The Athletic, Liverpool writer Andy Jones said that a professional contract for Ngumoha was inevitable and that he’s likely to only get even better as he continues his development at Anfield.

The journalist wrote: ‘Ngumoha’s first professional contract was expected, but also a reward for the impact he has made since arriving from Chelsea. His talent meant it was a case of when, not if, he would be elevated into the first team picture and he has wasted no time in making his mark.

‘From his debut against Accrington Stanley last season in the FA Cup to his scintillating form in pre-season, where he scored two goals and provided two assists, every Liverpool supporter is excited about the youngster for what he can do now and the player he could develop into.

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‘He has become a first team squad player this season under Arne Slot and his last-minute winner against Newcastle was taken with a calmness and coolness that some players ten years his senior do not possess. His poise, fearlessness, confidence and quick feet have been on display in every performance this season.

‘The 17-year-old is clearly a special talent, and Liverpool now have the opportunity to develop him further, a frightening thought for opposition defenders.’

Ngumoha hasn’t looked out of place at all in Liverpool’s first team

Liverpool are no strangers to signing precocious teenage talents from other British clubs – Harvey Elliott, Ben Gannon Doak, Trey Nyoni and Will Wright spring to mind – but few (if any) have generated as much excitement as Ngumoha.

Such was the Reds’ determination to secure his signature from Chelsea’s academy that they gladly worked through the Premier League’s rigorous five-step registration process in order to complete the deal in 2024.

As Jones pointed out, the 17-year-old hasn’t looked the slightest bit overawed at sharing the pitch with seasoned profesionals during his first few senior appearances. If anything, he seems to embrace the big stage and plays with an extraordinary fearlessness.

The challenge for Ngumoha will be to work harder than ever before to cement his place in Arne Slot’s first-team squad at Liverpool and hopefully avoid the same cruel misfortune with injury which has afflicted Giovanni Leoni this week.

It was never in doubt that the forward would be offered a professional contract at Anfield, and everything we’ve seen from him so far suggests that he’ll be given plenty of minutes in the senior side throughout the course of this season and beyond.