Rio Ngumoha has volunteered one possible solution to perhaps the biggest dilemma in the Liverpool starting XI right now – who to deploy on the right flank.
That position had been locked down by Mo Salah for the past nine years, but with the Egyptian no longer at Anfield and the largely peripheral Federico Chiesa the only natural senior alternative, Andoni Iraola has openly stated his eagerness to sign a winger for the Reds this summer.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola is being pursued by the LFC hierarchy, but with the European champions reportedly valuing him in excess of £125m, recruiting him could be an extremely tall order.
If Liverpool don’t manage to sign the France international, Ngumoha has made it clear to his head coach that he can operate on the right if needed.
When asked in an interview for liverpoolfc.com if that is an ‘option’, the 17-year-old replied: “Yeah, definitely. I think being unpredictable off both sides is key.
“Obviously everyone knows I can play on the left, but on the right I feel like I’m improving and I’m getting better. Yeah, definitely off the left and the right this season.”
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Iraola has lined out almost exclusively on the left so far at Liverpool, with his only outing on the right being a substitute appearance against Nottingham Forest in February (Transfermarkt).
However, with Cody Gakpo and Victor Munoz also competing for a place on the left flank, Ngumoha’s best chance of starting regularly in 2026/27 might actually be with a switch to the opposite wing.
The Liverpool Echo‘s Paul Gorst recently wrote that the idea of playing the teenager on the right ‘has been floated internally’ at the club, and it was on that side that he made his senior debut for England against New Zealand in June.
The upcoming pre-season games present the perfect opportunity for Iraola to try the 17-year-old on the right flank, and the earlier in his career that the forward gains experience in different roles, the more easily he can adjust to those in the long-term.
Ngumoha has been open about his willingness to play on either wing during the upcoming season, so it’d make perfect sense for the head coach to take his words on board and explore the possibility of the hugely gifted youngster potentially being Salah’s eventual replacement in the starting XI.
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Great idea…who knows he might end up to be even better on the right…for mine LFC have gone absolutely bonkers if they are going to shell out the sort of money PSG want for Barcola (essentially to pay for their buying Diomande) why would we even think of helping them out-leave Barcola where he is – go to RIO~ YNWA.
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