Chelsea are about to lose teenage winger Rio Ngumoha to fierce rivals Liverpool.
It is a major blow for them, with it being claimed that Chelsea tried to keep hold of Rio Ngumoha.
In the end, though, it looks like the 15-year-old has opted to join Liverpool, with his motives starting to emerge.
There has been a lot of activity at Chelsea during this transfer window.
While Ngumoha is set to depart, the Blues have brought in a couple of youngsters themselves in Marc Guiu and Omari Kellyman.
Rio Ngumoha likes what he has seen at Liverpool
The likes of Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley got chances in the Liverpool first team last season, and it does not look like that has gone unnoticed.
According to The Athletic, Ngumoha seeing the above names and others handed a route into the Liverpool first team was key in his decision to join the Reds.
It is not the first time a Chelsea youngster has left the Blues for Liverpool.
Back in 2017, Liverpool signed Dominic Solanke from their Premier League rivals, with the striker 19 at the time.
Solanke, now at Bournemouth, has actually been linked with a move back to Stamford Bridge. It has been reported that Chelsea have looked at re-signing Solanke.
Chelsea are going to lose more youngsters like Rio Ngumoha
It is going to hurt some Chelsea fans, but more academy talent will leave Cobham in the future.
Ngumoha is not the first youngster to want out of Chelsea, nor will he be the last.
With the amount of players the Blues sign each transfer window, members of the academy are going to feel that there is no pathway into the first team.
It is not an impossible journey to make, with the likes of Reece James, who is now club captain, and Levi Colwill proving that. But Ngumoha clearly believes he is more likely to make it at Arne Slot’s Liverpool, and it would not be a shock to see others develop a similar mindset.
