Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha Compensation Fee Is Hefty—But Chelsea Will Stay Frustrated

The switch to Anfield sparked a behind-the-scenes feud between the two clubs.

Rio Ngumoha left Chelsea for Liverpool during the summer. | Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Liverpool have been instructed to pay Chelsea what could be the second largest compensation fee in Premier League history for the transfer of winger Rio Ngumoha.

The Athletic report Liverpool must pay an initial £2.8 million ($3.8 million) for the 17-year-old, who declined a contract offer from Chelsea in favour of taking his talents to Anfield.

The tribunal responsible for the decision has also imposed a further £4 million in potential add-ons, with Liverpool also giving Chelsea 20% of the profit of any future fee if Ngumoha is sold.

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The Biggest Compensation Fees in Premier League History

Danny Ings holds the record for largest compensation fee. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Liverpool are no strangers to the tribunal, which gets involved in the transfers of players under 24 if they reject a contract offer and leave on a “free” transfer. The two clubs involved initially attempt to negotiate a compensation fee to reward the selling side’s time and effort spent developing the young player, but if no agreement can be reached, they head to a tribunal.

Of the five biggest compensation fees ever dished out in the Premier League, Liverpool are responsible for three of them. Ngumoha sits second on the standings, behind only the £8 million agreement for Danny Ings’s switch from Burnley in 2015.

Harvey Elliott’s move to Anfield from Fulham sits fourth, behind Chelsea’s acquisition of Daniel Sturridge from Manchester City in 2009.

Chelsea are, themselves, no strangers to the process, with their signing of Ethan Ampadu, now of Leeds United but formerly of Exeter City, down in fifth.

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Most Expensive Compensation Fees in Premier League History

Player	Move	Fee
Danny Ings	Burnley to Liverpool	£8 million
Rio Ngumoha	Chelsea to Liverpool	£6.8 million
Daniel Sturridge	Man City to Chelsea	£6.5 million
Harvey Elliott	Fulham to Liverpool	£4.3 million
Ethan Ampadu	Exeter to Chelsea	£2.5 million

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Chelsea Emerge As Losers of Tribunal Decision

Ngumoha has already made an impact at Liverpool. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

On one hand, Chelsea can count themselves fortunate to pocket as much as £6.8 million, plus a hefty sell-on clause, for a player who snubbed their contract offer and walked away from Stamford Bridge.

The concern for Chelsea is that Ngumoha’s transfer value already drastically exceeds such a comparatively small fee, and the fact that he takes second place on the all-time rankings proves that those responsible for the decision were well aware of that.

Player potential and first-team appearances are among the factors taken into account when the compensation fees are decided. Ngumoha, who already has eight Premier League appearances and one goal to his name, falls behind Ings, who scored 11 goals for Burnley in 2014–15 before leaving for Liverpool.

Ngumoha is widely hailed as one of the most talented players of his generation, not only in England but across the globe. Such a player can easily command eight-figure transfer fees these days and Liverpool will know they may have landed themselves a bargain.

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Chelsea’s Losing Battle With Ngumoha

Rio Ngumoha was highly thought of at Stamford Bridge. | Chris Lee/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Chelsea tried to convince Ngumoha to stay during the summer of 2024, but the teenager felt as though there was a better pathway to senior football at Liverpool. He has already played 14 times for the Reds, even if those outings add up to just 421 minutes.

Losing Ngumoha came as an enormous blow to Chelsea, who are reported to have been left so frustrated by his exit that they started blocking Liverpool scouts from attending fixtures to try and avoid losing any other players.

Some have even gone as far as to claim that Chelsea are looking to retaliate against Liverpool by signing a high-potential youngster themselves—15-year-old winger Joshua Abe is one of several names suggested.

With that going on in the background, Liverpool will walk away from the tribunal with smiles on their faces. To sign a 17-year-old homegrown forward with the potential to shine in the first team for over a decade for just £6.8 million is the definition of a no-brainer, even if they may eventually lose 20% of the profit from any future sale.

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