Liverpool
Liverpool’s transfer plans and the challenge facing Rio Ngumoha
Liverpool’s transfer plans could reshape Rio Ngumoha’s path as expensive arrivals alter the pecking order.
Liverpool’s current transfer plans could shape more than the shape of the squad. If the club completes its moves over the next two weeks, the spend may not reach last summer’s record level, but it could still come close, with major implications for 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha.
Ngumoha has been regarded for some time as one of the game’s leading young prospects. Liverpool were pleased to win the race for him in the summer of 2024 after he turned down a new contract at Chelsea, where he had built a strong reputation in the academy. His concern was that the pathway to senior football there was being blocked by constant recruitment and the sale of graduates.
Liverpool sold him a different vision, and his rise initially appeared to justify that choice. In January 2025, he became the club’s youngest-ever starter, and across 2025-26 he made 29 appearances as he moved closer to the first team.
His thinking may also have been influenced by the expected departure of Salah, who was under contract until 2027. With the Egyptian ageing and a vacancy opening on the right, Ngumoha could have expected to be next in line once the contract ended.
That plan has changed. After a difficult season, Salah left 12 months early, forcing Liverpool to weigh whether a teenager with 551 Premier League minutes should be trusted to replace one of the club’s greats when the pressure is so intense.
The answer from Anfield’s hierarchy appears to be no. Their focus is on Bradley Barcola, a natural left winger, while Muñoz, Federico Chiesa and Cody Gakpo also sit in the wider picture. If Gakpo were sold, it could open the door to Ibrahim Mbaye as well.
Liverpool are clearly building for the future, but finances will shape opportunity. Ngumoha may have cost no more than $9.2 million (£6.8 million), yet Barcola could require $190 million, Mbaye $60 million and Muñoz $46 million. Those figures will inevitably affect who gets the most minutes as Andoni Iraola tries to manage a crowded and expensive attack.
Liverpool
How Iraola Could Address Liverpool’s Midfield Exposure
Iraola sees Liverpool’s midfield issue as collective, not one player’s fault, and may turn to Mac Allister.
Andoni Iraola has dismissed the idea that Liverpool’s problem can be solved simply by signing a specialist defensive midfielder. After Newcastle United repeatedly exposed the space through the middle on Sunday, the new boss insisted the issue runs deeper than one position.
The warning signs were plain in the 2-2 draw. Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz were both caught ahead of the ball before Newcastle’s second goal, while Dominik Szoboszlai was in place but unable to prevent Yoane Wissa moving forward. Former defender Jamie Carragher called the situation “madness,” saying: “This midfield cannot work, I said it before a competitive ball was kicked.”
Iraola took a different view. “It’s not just personnel,” he said after the match. “There were different reasons for both the goals which happened in transition.
“… It’s not just because one person is playing there [as a holding midfielder]. It’s something we have to correct between a lot of players.”
The concern is not new. Since the start of last season, only Sunderland have conceded more Premier League goals on the counterattack than Liverpool, who have shipped seven. By comparison, defending champions Arsenal have allowed just one over the same period.
One route is behavioural rather than structural. As Carlo Ancelotti has argued, defenders need a more pessimistic mindset than forwards. In Liverpool’s case, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai have too much attacking instinct for a midfield shield, and both rushed into Newcastle’s box early on Sunday. Gravenberch, in particular, has increasingly ventured forward over the past year after excelling in a deeper role during Liverpool’s title-winning campaign.
Iraola’s own Bournemouth side showed industry last season but were also exposed in transition, so a positional tweak may not be his instinct. Instead, he appears to want the team to “finish the action” before counterattacks begin. On Newcastle’s first goal, he felt Liverpool should have taken the chance themselves rather than allow the move to break down. “For the first one [goal] I think we should just finish the great chance we created,” he said. “We were on the edge of the box with a clear situation to shoot, but we didn’t and then you have to give credit to Elanga for winning the race.”
The second goal pointed to another missed chance to stop the break earlier. “It wasn’t like they caught us by surprise,” he said. “We should compete for the first ball and probably make a foul–be a bit more aggressive against the ball carrier.”
That leaves Alexis Mac Allister as a possible internal answer. He began on the bench, with Wirtz alongside Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, but soon after Newcastle’s second goal Iraola introduced Mac Allister and adjusted the midfield triangle with the Argentine at its base.
Liverpool
Four lessons from Liverpool’s uneven start under Andoni Iraola
Iraola’s first Liverpool outing exposed risk, frustration and unanswered questions across the pitch.
Andoni Iraola began his Liverpool reign with the honesty expected of a manager who knew perfection was never likely on day one. “I would like to say on the first day we are going to be perfect, everyone will be in place,” he said with a strained smile, “but probably it is not going to be like this.” It was a line that quickly matched the evidence on the pitch.
With transfer business still unresolved, Liverpool’s current group offered no easy lift to the mood. Iraola’s football is built on controlled risk, and he has been clear about his preference. “I prefer to make mistakes,” he told Jamie Carragher before his debut. That approach was laid bare early at St James’ Park, where Liverpool’s midfield shape left them exposed in the fifth minute.
Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai were both caught ahead of the ball after Amar Dedić won possession back for Newcastle inside his own penalty area. Florian Wirtz was skipped past by the slide, and the home side were suddenly running into open space. It was a problem that returned later, with Gravenberch again advanced for Newcastle’s second goal after losing the ball near the opposition box. Szoboszlai, meanwhile, was too weak in his attempt to stop Yoane Wissa or eventual scorer Joe Willock.
There were also signs that Liverpool remain in the market for width. Bradley Barcola is viewed as the priority on the left, while Yankuba Minteh is being closely monitored for the other side. Either move would affect Rio Ngumoha, who has already built his reputation from the left. He has made 30 senior appearances for Liverpool, and only one has come on the right. A move for Barcola would push him, and Víctor Muñoz, over there more often.
Ngumoha’s 60-minute spell offered little comfort. Lewis Hall kept him on the touchline and forced him into narrower, weaker positions whenever he tried to come inside. Alexander Isak faced a hostile reception throughout, and when Liverpool were awarded a stoppage-time penalty, he did not take it. Szoboszlai did instead and scored. Wirtz also struggled to influence the game behind him, and Iraola’s warning about Liverpool’s “overplaying” in the final third felt justified. After an expensive first season, the pressure on Wirtz remains considerable.
Liverpool
Real Salt Lake Linked With Georginio Wijnaldum as MLS Interest Grows
Real Salt Lake are in talks over Georginio Wijnaldum, with the former Liverpool midfielder now a free agent.
Real Salt Lake are being linked with a move for Georginio Wijnaldum, one of the standout figures from Liverpool’s recent peak years. The former Premier League midfielder is now 35 and available on a free transfer after his spell with Al-Ettifaq ended this summer.
Wijnaldum’s name remains closely tied to Liverpool’s most successful modern era. Across 237 appearances for the club, he delivered 22 goals and 16 assists, helping drive the side to major achievements under manager Jurgen Klopp, including the 2019 UEFA Champions League title and the 2020 English Premier League victory.
Before arriving at Anfield, he built his career with Feyenoord and PSV, then moved on to Newcastle United, which paved the way for his switch to Liverpool. After leaving Merseyside, he continued his career with Paris Saint-Germain and AS Roma before moving to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023.
His international record is equally notable. Wijnaldum has scored 28 goals in 96 appearances for the Netherlands and played an important role in the team’s third-place finish at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He scored in the 3–0 third-place win over the hosts after the Netherlands had lost to Argentina in the semifinal. He was not included in the 2026 World Cup squad.
A move to Real Salt Lake would place him among a growing list of former European names arriving in MLS. The article also points to Thomas Müller of the Vancouver Whitecaps, Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris of LAFC, and Marco Reus and Sergi Roberto of the L.A. Galaxy.
Real Salt Lake have already been active this summer, and a Wijnaldum arrival would help offset some of the departures and keep the club competitive in a stronger Western Conference. Among those losses was winger Zavier Gozo, who joined Crystal Palace for nearly $15 million. There is also continued interest in Diego Luna, despite his dip in form and absence from the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup roster.
