'Lovely' Liverpool star proves why Richard Hughes doesn't need to sign £69m ace | OneFootball

The 2026-27 summer transfer window is now just around the corner.

There are only two Premier League games left of the season and, even though it's looking more likely that the Reds will qualify for the Champions League, there's still doubt in the back of some peoples minds.

This has been one of Liverpool's worst seasons in recent memory with the club already losing 11 top flight games this term.

A lot of this is due to the poor performances that their players have put in but, there have been one or two outliers.

As with every team, there are one or two stand-out players and, during the Reds' 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday, that was the case once again.

And now, thanks to this performance, it feels like Richard Hughes and Arne Slot could have a bit of a dilemma on their hands that they'll need to solve before next season kicks off.

Liverpool may not need to sign Anthony Gordon after Rio Ngumoha's performance vs Chelsea

Rio Ngumoha may only be 17 years old but he's certainly one of the Reds' most exciting players.

The attacker isn't afraid of anything and will basically take on any player that he's up against.

He's completed the most dribbles out of all of his teammates with Saturday's clash further proving that he deserves to be given more of a chance by his manager next season.

However, recent rumours have emerged which have linked Anthony Gordon with an Anfield move.

Newcastle would be willing to listen to offers worth around £69 million for the Englishman with Liverpool having a long-standing interest in the 25-year-old.

And, as much as Liverpool may need a replacement for Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah, it feels like a new big-money signing could get in the way of Ngumoha's development if they're not careful.

Rio Ngumoha's outing vs Chelsea in numbers

One of the main reasons behind Ngumoha's lack of involvement this season is his age.

Even though he may be one of the Reds' best-performing attackers at the moment, Liverpool seemingly don't want to push him too far while he's still so young.

However, as per Sofascore, that policy may need to change, especially after what he did against Chelsea.

Throughout the clash, he was Liverpool's most dangerous players with his blistering pace allowing him to get past Malo Gusto on more than one occasion.

During his 65 minutes on the pitch, he managed to maintain a pass accuracy of 92 per cent and even provided an assist to Ryan Gravenberch for the opening goal.

He successfully completed 80 per cent of his dribbles (4) and only lost possession of the ball six times.

Defensively, he was also fairly solid as he recovered the ball on five separate occasions and won 66 per cent of the ground duels he attempted.

These statistics, coupled with the boos that Slot received when Ngumoha was taken off the pitch prove how good he actually was.

And, even though Liverpool may not want to put their youngster in their starting XI each week, they may have to go against their transfer plans and do it, especially if he keeps performing to this level.