Liverpool could be set to save millions after Paul Gorst’s latest update
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Rio Ngumoha Right-Wing Switch Could Save Liverpool Millions in Liverpool’s Search for a Salah Successor
Liverpool need a right winger. That part is obvious. Mohamed Salah is gone, the output has gone with him, and replacing that level of goals and assists is the hardest job in the squad rebuild facing Andoni Iraola.
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There is a market solution, and Liverpool are clearly scanning it. There is also an internal one, and that may be the smarter play. Rio Ngumoha, used from the left so far, is reportedly being considered on the right after “internal discussions” according to Paul Gorst of The Liverpool Echo. If that idea sticks, it could save Liverpool millions in the transfer market.
Rio Ngumoha as Salah successor
This is not about pretending Ngumoha is the finished article at 17. He is not. It is about recognising what Liverpool already have. Last season he broke through properly, earned more minutes as the campaign went on and delivered a landmark moment by becoming Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorer with the winner against Newcastle.
He has mainly featured from the left at club level, but his England debut offered another clue. He played on the right against New Zealand and impressed. That matters, because Liverpool have long favoured inverted wide players. In simple terms, the role on the right is built for a player who can attack inside or threaten the full-back directly.
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Ngumoha is right-footed, so he does not fit the classic Salah template. He does, however, have pace, athleticism and the ability to beat defenders. More importantly, his decision-making and end product improved last season. For a teenager, that is the part that counts.
Liverpool transfer strategy under Iraola
Liverpool’s need out wide is bigger than one position. Luis Diaz was never replaced from the previous season, Cody Gakpo carried too much of the burden and still did not produce enough in the final third, and there are questions over depth.
As things stand, Federico Chiesa and Jeremie Frimpong are among the few obvious right-sided options in the squad. That is not enough for a club trying to recover from a fifth-place Premier League finish.
Victor Munoz has arrived under Iraola, but one signing does not fix a frontline that has lost its reference point. That is why names such as Bradley Barcola, Yan Diomande and Yankuba Minteh keep surfacing. Barcola brings pedigree, Diomande offers a natural right-sided profile and Minteh is the closest stylistic fit as a left-footer cutting in from the right.
Salah replacement may already be in-house
Here is the blunt truth. None of those players can be expected to replicate Salah immediately. Very few in world football can. Liverpool still need external help, possibly two wingers, but they also need to stop overlooking the value of a top academy talent already in the building.
If Ngumoha can handle the tactical shift, Liverpool may have found part of the answer without spending £40m, £50m or more on potential alone. In a summer where priorities are stacking up quickly, that matters.
The best outcome may be the simplest one. Buy support, not a saviour, and give Rio Ngumoha a real run at the right wing.