Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Premier League, Chelsea, Liverpool
Ryan Smart
Chelsea implemented a strict rule after losing wonderkid Rio Ngumoha to Liverpool last summer - and are now locked in a legal battle over compensation.
The 16-year-old scored the winning goal in only his second Premier League appearance as Liverpool defeated Newcastle 3-2 on Monday.
He became just the fourth player aged under 17 - alongside James Vaughan, Wayne Rooney and James Milner - to score a Premier League goal.
Ngumoha was signed by Liverpool from Chelsea last summer, and quickly caught the attention of first team coaches.
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He started the Reds' 4-0 FA Cup third round win over Accrington Stanley in January, but it is in pre-season where he took a significant step up the pecking order.
That has resulted in the 16-year-old becoming a genuine part of Arne Slot's first team plans this season, as shown by his substitute appearances in the Reds' opening two fixtures.
Chelsea are still said to be furious that Liverpool were able to prise away one of their top academy stars, though the Daily Mail report that the move met the Premier League's strict five-step criteria for the transfer of players under the age of 18.
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However, the Blues are entitled to compensation for the 16-year-old and are said to believe that they deserve 'significant' remuneration, especially after Ngumoha's first senior goal.
The Mail add that the two clubs are now effectively 'at war' over the wonderkid, with Chelsea moving to ban Liverpool from sending scouts to watch their age group teams in action.
Speaking to Liverpool's official website after scoring the 100th-minute winner at St James' Park on Monday, Ngumoha said: "I'm buzzing. I'm so happy to score, especially the winner. It's a special feeling.
"It was crazy. He [Slot] looked at me and pointed at me, like, 'Get on, get ready, you just have to come on and make an impact'. Luckily and thank God that I did that.
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"As the ball came I just thought, I back myself to score. The fans, I heard them screaming my name. That's a sensational moment.
"But you can't get too carried away with all the noise, because at the end of the day I probably do that finish 100 times a day on the training ground, so it's no different with the fans. But obviously with the fans backing you there... it's just crazy."