Liverpool starlet Rio Ngumoha has received a new contract that has quadrupled his wages after his breakthrough under Arne Slot, a new report claims. The forward, who scored a vital winner against Newcastle earlier this season, has seen a massive increase on his initial wages of £14,400-per-year.
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ToggleNgumoha has enjoyed an incredible rise in profile in the Liverpool ranks this season, as he has become more and more involved with Slot's first-team. He has made four appearances in all competitions, famously scoring a late, late winner against Newcastle in the league. And The Sun now reports that when that goal went in, the teenager was still earning just 14,400-per-year, as the club have a wage limit for young players. But upon turning 17, his salary has increased immensely.
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The winger celebrated his birthday on August 29, and the Reds have almost immediately handed him fresh terms – confirming as much earlier this week – worth 52,000-per-year. That is a four-fold increase on what Ngumoha was earning previously, and goes some way to showing just how much faith the club have in the youngster. He already has 12 caps for England's Under-17s too, as he bids to make an impact on both the domestic and international game in the future.
Slot was full of praise for his newest star after his goal against Newcastle, telling reporters: “He’s a player that can finish really well for his age. How firm his shot was, you don’t see this often for a 16-year-old. I did hear someone afterwards in the dressing room, I won’t say who, said they would have taken that ball, have a first touch, then finish it off. But he is so confident. That’s what I like, because the first ball he got he wasn’t afraid. He immediately took someone on. When the second player came, he got across him, and for him to score that goal is not completely a coincidence because for his age he is an amazing finisher.”
The winger's goal against the Magpies made him the Reds' youngest-ever scorer in a Premier League game, scoring at the age of 16 years and 361 days, and he expressed his amazement at writing himself into Merseyside folklore.
He said: “I’m buzzing! I’m so happy to score, especially the winner. A good moment, a special feeling, I’m definitely happy.
“You just have to come on and make an impact and thank God that I did that. It was just a proud moment.”
He added: “Normally, last season especially, the Academy coaches and even the first-team coaches are always saying, ‘Make the back post, make the back post.’
“The fact that I made the back post is just crazy… when I saw it with Mo [Salah] and then Dom [Szoboszlai] putting it through his legs, I was like one-v-one and I just smashed it. The fans, I heard them screaming my name and that’s a sensational moment I would say.
“But you can’t get too carried away with all the noise, like I said, because at the end of the day I probably do that finish 100 times on the training ground so it’s no different with the fans [here]. But obviously the fans backing you there, it’s just crazy.
“I’m 16 but I don’t want my age to show that I can’t play with the older players. I want to prove a point that I can play with not just people my age but many ages above.
“But like I said, there are people at the club who are always helping me and I’m always learning and improving, so I can’t complain.”