The next Rio Ngumoha is destined to join Liverpool

Liverpool’s reputation for turning Chelsea’s cast-offs into Anfield icons may be about to repeat itself. Rio Ngumoha has already validated the well-worn west-to-east pathway, and the club’s recruitment staff believe they have identified his successor still on Chelsea’s books: 17-year-old winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen.

Ngumoha’s switch last year caused consternation at Stamford Bridge, yet the teenager wasted no time proving the doubters wrong. Handed a swift first-team opportunity that Chelsea’s endless spending spree could never guarantee, he has become the latest poster-boy for a transfer route that previously delivered Mohamed Salah and Daniel Sturridge to Merseyside. Liverpool’s policy of cherry-picking the country’s brightest teenagers—Harvey Elliott and Trey Nyoni arrived under the same mantra—has created an environment in which Ngumoha has flourished.

That success story is now being used as a magnet for the next target. Kavuma-McQueen, an electric right-winger who torments full-backs with blistering pace and a trademark cut inside onto his left foot, has been labelled “the next Ngumoha” inside Cobham. His England U17 record backs up the hype: five goals in his last four outings and 25 goal contributions in 23 appearances across youth levels.

Liverpool came close to adding Kavuma-McQueen to their academy last summer but deliberately paused business to underline a clear pathway for Joshua Abe, another highly-rated winger already on the club’s books. Chelsea seized the moment, tying the teenager to a scholarship deal, yet the Merseyside club remain confident the long game is in their favour.

Digital breadcrumbs suggest the feeling is mutual. Kavuma-McQueen’s social-media footprint is dotted with Liverpool-centric reposts, while his Instagram following list reads like a Reds team-sheet. Fans trawling platform X have highlighted repeated shares of Liverpool content, fuelling speculation that the London-born flyer sees his future at Anfield rather than in blue.

For now, the player remains contracted to Chelsea, but history shows the pull of Liverpool can prove irresistible when pathways and passions align. If the pattern holds, Kavuma-McQueen could become the latest prodigy to swap Stamford Bridge for the Kop and, in the process, extend a cross-club pipeline that has quietly become one of English football’s most productive.