Liverpool have suffered something of a winter blip, drawing four of their past seven Premier League matches and trailing Tottenham by a goal to nil after the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie.
The finely crafted fluency has been knocked out of balance in recent weeks, of that there’s no doubt. But first-placed Liverpool still hold a four-point advantage over Arsenal, having played a game less, and will be determined to put Spurs to the sword at Anfield next month.
Arne Slot will retain his cool and composed demeanour, working in conjunction with sporting director Richard Hughes to advance the Liverpool cause to the best of his ability. Liverpool are pushing for silverware and many supporters are hoping that FSG will green-light a mid-season signing to propel the Merseysiders further forward.
Liverpool's January transfer plans
Liverpool’s contract-related issues have been discussed ad nauseam. Most of the noise has circled around Trent Alexander-Arnold, but Hughes and co better watch out, for Mohamed Salah is being courted by Saudi Pro League giants Al Hilal.
Liverpool still expect Salah and Virgil van Dijk to extend their time at Anfield, though Alexander-Arnold’s future is more nebulous. This bulky problem is the chief reason why efforts have not been expended concerning incomings. Left-back Milos Kerkez is top of the wishlist, for example, but not expected to be targeted to replace Andy Robertson until the end of the season.
Then there’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The prized Napoli winger, 23, is slated to complete a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain despite Liverpool showing their hand last week.
Matches (starts)
17 (15)
19 (14)
20 (12)
Goals
5
8
6
Assists
3
2
2
Shots (on target)*
2.9 (1.0)
2.0 (0.9)
1.8 (0.7)
Big chances missed
2
5
4
Pass completion
83%
87%
85%
Key passes*
1.7
1.4
1.2
Dribble (success)*
1.1 (31%)
1.2 (43%)
1.1 (67%)
Ball recoveries*
2.6
2.6
2.2
Total duels (won)*
4.2 (44%)
3.2 (37%)
3.3 (54%)
It’s a tad frustrating to watch initial intrigue come to nothing for such a talented player, but with Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo holding down the fort in that area so spectacularly, it was perhaps not the best track to head down this month. Both Redmen are arguably outstripping the Georgia international this season.
And anyway, Liverpool might have an up-and-coming talent in Rio Ngumoha who could prove to be Slot’s very own version of Kvaratskhelia.
Rio Ngumoha could be Slot's Kvaratskhelia
Sometimes, a fledgling talent comes along and you just know they carry something special. Ngumoha is that talent, though the 16-year-old must be eased into Slot’s senior set-up over the coming years, allowed to develop naturally with sporadic chances among the big boys.
Ngumoha was poached from Chelsea’s esteemed youth academy last summer, and it’s fair to say that Cobham officials were left hot under the collar as they lost one of their finest to the Merseysiders.
The highly-rated youngster’s signature was stuck due to some protracted administrative hold-ups throughout the summer but the move was completed in September and he has instantly made waves within Liverpool’s youth scene, leading to some high praise.
Reporter Lewis Bower even said: “I’ve probably never seen anything like it before. In terms of his ceiling, it’s frightening.”
The electric-paced wideman has already racked up 13 appearances for Liverpool’s respective youth sides this season, notching four assists and impressing with his ferocious athleticism and fleet-footedness.
His starting berth against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup last weekend was a perfect illustration of the high regard that Slot holds him in, for the Dutch coach is notoriously cut-throat when it comes to team selection.
Minutes played
72′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots (on target)
2 (0)
Touches
30
Accurate passes
16/18 (89%)
Dribbles (completed)
7 (3)
Ground duels (won)
9 (3)
He might not have scored against Liverpool’s League Two opponents last week, but Ngumoha gave an excellent account of himself on his professional debut, frustrating throughout with zappy dribbling and not afraid to get stuck in defensively either, displaying a combativeness that Slot will have appreciated.
After the 4-0 home victory, The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle even awarded Ngumoha with a 7/10 match rating, writing: ‘Announced himself on debut with some tricky runs down the left before break and released ball at right time. Encouraging display.’
There’s something delicately artful yet supremely sturdy about his ball-carrying ability, his silkiness. The mechanics behind the youngster’s skillset suggest that he could indeed be a superstar down the line if afforded enough time to grow into his skin.
To be sure, Liverpool could have made good use of a high-class winger such as Kvaratskhelia, but Slot has options aplenty and FSG will not want to do something hasty that could inhibit more calculated ventures down the line. They could well have saved themselves millions by not plumping for the £68m Napoli man.
When Jurgen Klopp stepped down at the end of the 2023/24 season, many across Europe might have felt that Liverpool would need to lower their station as the inevitable decline took hold with a cold grip.
In The Pipeline
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But Slot’s project looks fit to last – and is only just beginning. There’s so much talent in the first team, fighting for titles, but in youngsters such as Ngumoha, Liverpool might have some prodigious potential that could prompt reflective glances back to windows such as this one, when Kvaratskhelia was on the radar, and cause fans to breathe a sigh of relief.
For Ngumoha could be something so much more.
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