Chelsea wonderkid transfer causes Premier League WAR

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 17 Oct 2024 14:20 BST
• 6 min read

Rio Ngumoha’s summer move from Chelsea to Liverpool has reportedly sparked an academy war between three of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.

Ngumoha, 16, was considered to be one of Chelsea’s most promising academy talents, but he left the Stamford Bridge outfit to join Liverpool, in part due to the first-team pathway available at Anfield.

Jarrel Quansah and Conor Bradley have emerged over the past 12 months, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones have also become first-team regulars after graduating from the club’s academy system.

READ MORE: Real Madrid pursue shock January move for Chelsea wonderkid

However, Ngumoha’s move has caused a war between Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.

That is according to The Athletic, who report that scouts from Liverpool and Man Utd have been denied accreditation access to Chelsea youth-team fixtures over the past month.

In turn, Liverpool have reportedly reciprocated this by rejecting requests made by Chelsea scouts.

READ MORE: Chelsea duo targeted by Barcelona in January transfer window

The Athletic state that none of the three clubs have issued a formal ban on scouts, but tension is rising following Ngumoha’s summer switch to Liverpool.

His decision to leave has frustrated Chelsea and they are seemingly eager to avoid a similar situation arising in the future.

Chelsea deny academy neglect

The academy war between Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd comes after Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart denied speculation that Chelsea see their academy products as a means of earning ‘pure profit.’

The Blues’ sporting directors told The Telegraph’s Matt Law: “e had a significant offer for one of our academy products this summer that we absolutely chose not to take,” Winstanley admitted.

“There’s a lot of misconception out there. We’ve had two debuts this year. There’s three or four more players in behind who we think we can push through this year as well that we’re keen to do.

“The manager’s on board with that, he’s aware of the players coming through. We give them opportunities when we can to make sure they’ve got that pathway.

“It’s not just about PSR, it’s contractual statuses, it’s circumstances. The two players you referenced [Mount and Gallagher], there were contractual problems that we walked into. It’s really important for us to bring through players.

““There’s nothing fans like more than players who are one of our own and they can sing those songs about those players and we certainly appreciate that.

“That’s why we continue to invest in the academy and try to make sure the first team and the academy are aligned, so the players have the best opportunity to make that step.”