Liverpool have announced that Rio Ngumoha, the 17-year-old winger who joined from Chelsea last year, has signed his first professional contract. The club did not disclose the length or terms of the deal, but regulations limit such contracts to a maximum of three years for players of his age.
Ngumoha, who turned 17 on 29 August, left Chelsea in September 2024 after eight years at the club, believing his path to first-team football was clearer at Anfield. The move sparked tensions between the two clubs, with Liverpool scouts banned from Chelsea academy matches. A tribunal will determine the compensation fee Chelsea receive.
The London-born teenager quickly rose from the under-18s to the under-21s at Liverpool and made his senior debut in the FA Cup in January. This summer, he became a permanent member of the first-team squad and has already set two club records: youngest goalscorer, with a 100th-minute Premier League winner against Newcastle in August, and youngest player in European competition, after a substitute appearance against Atlético Madrid.
In a separate announcement, Liverpool revealed they issued 1,114 lifetime bans last season for ticket touting, a sharp rise from 75 the previous season. The club also shut down 162 social media groups involved in selling fake or reselling real tickets, and are investigating a further 10,000 accounts.
