Why Liverpool could end up paying RECORD transfer fee for Rio Ngumoha

Liverpool’s academy is blessed with a roster of bright prospects, and under the tutelage of head coach Arne Slot, some are sure to grow into first team talents.

One of the Reds’ most exciting young players, Rio Ngumoha, is yet to play for the first team, but the 16-year-old has already made plenty of headlines.

After recently providing a stunning assist against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Youth League, and sharing his aspirations to one day win the Ballon d'Or, it now looks as though the signing of Ngumoha could cause a headache for higher-ups at Liverpool.

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The winger signed from Chelsea last summer after the move passed the Premier League’s five-step approval process, but the Blues were left furious and now a tribunal will be called to determine how much compensation Liverpool must pay.

How does the tribunal process work?

A tribunal is only called when a player under the age of 24 moves clubs having reached the end of their contract and the valuation the tribunal decides is non-negotiable

The Professional Football Compensation Committee are the ones who decide how much a team will have to pay.

The group is not a permanent standing body and the decision will be made by four or five ad hoc members who have no relation to either Chelsea or Liverpool.

A number of factors are taken into account when deciding a fee, including a player’s past and also their perceived potential.

This means that although an initial fee will be decided, the tribunal can also add bonuses for when the player reaches certain milestones.

How much could Liverpool end up paying for Ngumoha?

This will not be the first time the signing of a Liverpool player has been called to a tribunal, and some notable examples include Danny Ings and Harvey Elliott.

Elliott’s transfer is the easiest to relate to Ngumoha’s as the players were of similar age and experience at the time they joined Liverpool, where as Ings had already played over 100 games for Burnley.

There are some differences between the two signings though. Elliott had already made his senior debut for Fulham when he joined Liverpool, and this likely increased the fee the Reds had to pay.

Ngumoha didn’t ever play for Chelsea’s senior team so this won’t factor into his fee, but he could still cost more than Elliott.

Elliott’s potential fee of £4.3 million was a record for a 16-year-old at the time, according to The Guardian, and took into account his experience and ability but also included bonuses for when he signed senior contracts at Anfield and making his senior England debut.

Fulham also have a 20% sell on clause on Elliott and it is likely that Chelsea will demand something similar for Ngumoha, who could end up costing Liverpool a record fee.

The Blues will argue that, due to changes in the transfer market and Ngumoha’s incredibly high ceiling, they should receive more than Fulham did for Elliott.

The Reds will argue that the fact Ngumoha hasn’t even played a minute of senior football yet means his price should be lower than Elliott’s, at least initially, and it is unlikely that a verdict will be made for some time.

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