Andoni Iraola Could Be Key to Liverpool Keeping Rio Ngumoha Away From Arsenal

Liverpool are eager to tie teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha to a new contract amid growing interest from Premier League champions Arsenal.

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The 18-year-old was poached from Chelsea’s academy back in Sept. 2024 and enjoyed his breakout season with the Reds in 2025–26. He made 29 appearances across all competitions and became the club’s youngest goalscorer with a winning strike against Newcastle United early in the campaign.

Ngumoha has already made five more appearances for Liverpool this season and is viewed as an important part of the club’s first-team plans, despite the summer arrivals of Bradley Barcola and Victor Muñoz-both of whom play in the youngster’s preferred left wing role.

However, with his current contract only running until 2028 and no new deal having yet been penned, David Ornstein has confirmed rumors of Arsenal’s interest in Ngumoha on The Athletic FC podcast.

“I think there is some interest from Arsenal in Rio Ngumoha,” said Ornstein. “There’s surely interest from lots of clubs in him, because he’s such a precocious talent. I did hear over the summer that they like him. They’re allowed to like him; that’s their prerogative. It doesn’t mean Liverpool are going to sell him.

“They want to renew his contract. He’s 18 and tied down at Anfield until 2028. I don’t know of an agreement yet on a new deal, so clearly that’s something they’ll try to progress.”

Andoni Iraola Holds Key to Ngumoha Future

Liverpool view their precocious teenager as untouchable having already fended off interest from Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig last summer, but Andoni Iraola’s use of Ngumoha could prove decisive in the player’s future.

With Barcola, Muñoz and Cody Gakpo among the manager’s other options out wide, the onus is on him to offer Ngumoha regular minutes and ensure the player doesn’t grow frustrated as Liverpool try to extend his contract.

“I heard Arsenal have some interest in him, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens with him and Liverpool because there is no suggestion he’s unhappy there,” Ornstein added.

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“I reported over the summer that Ngumoha was actually Bayern Munich’s top target at one point to strengthen in the wing position. They’d done quite a lot of work on it, but it didn’t develop. Liverpool had no interest in trading him.

“RB Leipzig were another club credited with interest. What will be really interesting is to see how much game time he gets at Liverpool, because wingers are the big thing for Andoni Iraola.

“You would expect him to be a real asset for them. Let’s see how it develops.”

Why Do Arsenal Want Ngumoha?

Arsenal interest partially stems from the club’s lack of options on the left wing. Christos Tzolis was recently signed from Club Brugge, but the Gunners lost Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

Currently, Tzolis’s only competition on the left flank comes from Eberechi Eze, who is a more natural fit in central attacking midfield anyway.

Mikel Arteta will be eager for reinforcements in the position soon and Arsenal have clearly identified it as an area of their roster that needs bolstering considering they made an unsuccessful move for Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior over the summer.

The north Londoners had also shown interest in Morgan Rogers prior to his Chelsea switch, as well as Barcola before he teamed up with Liverpool.

Ngumoha’s talent is undeniable and he has the potential to blossom into one of the world’s leading wingers over the next decade. Signing him will be far from straightforward, though.

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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 6:00 AM.