Rio Ngumoha future in the balance after Liverpool strike mega-deal
What does Rio Ngumoha's future look like? It's all in the balance after a Liverpool mega-deal was struck.
Liverpool have made the news on Thursday morning as they struck a gigantic deal with Paris Saint-Germain for Bradley Barcola. The Frenchman is now set to move for around £100m guaranteed, potentially rising to £120m.
That’s a massive amount. It’s potentially the most Liverpool have ever spent on a player not called ‘Alexander Isak’ and they’re hoping Barcola can fill the void left by Mohamed Salah, albeit from the opposite side.
Liverpool badly lacked drive and energy from the flanks last season, with Salah slowing down and Cody Gakpo unable to offer that kind of game. Thus the move for an elite winger was inevitable - Liverpool just struggled to actually get a deal done for one.
They’ve now done that and Barcola joins, pending a medical and complete confirmation. But that does bring about more questions.
For one, what does this mean for Rio Ngumoha? The teenager was the bright light of last season and one people called for as they sought that energy out wide. But he is very much a left-winger and Liverpool have just agreed a deal for a top talent in his position and one who isn’t particularly old.
Barcola will, with any luck, hold down that flank for the next six years. Ngumoha will not get a proper look-in if that’s the case - so is he moving to the right?
That feels like a strange decision. There’s little evidence that Ngumoha can operate adequately from that flank, especially as it eliminates the chance to cut inside, which remains his biggest threat.
Liverpool will need to change how they’re developing him, then. They’ll also need to make sure he’s okay with limited minutes from the left - essentially asking him to be a pure squad player.
And so we’re not entirely sure what this means for Ngumoha or what the overall plan is. Everyone figured he was set for a dramatic rise in minutes this season but the Barcola deal puts them at risk.
