Rio Ngumoha has not quite yet hit the heights of some of previous performances for Liverpool so far this season, but Arsenal are reportedly showing interest in a player that has garnered a lot of excitement and showed plenty of promise.
After making his breakthrough into Liverpool's senior squad in the 2025/26 season, there was a lot of impetus on Arne Slot from fans to give him more minutes. The senior squad first got a glimpse of him in his 72-minute appearance in a 4-0 FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley in 2024-25.
Since then, he's gone on to make a total of 34 appearances across all competitions, tallying two goals and an assist. What he lacks in production of goals and assists, he makes up for with his energy, liveliness, and creativity on the ball; a big reason why Liverpool fans had been asking to see more of him.
Contract Renewal at Liverpool, Or Time For Change?
Ngumoha's current contract with Liverpool expires in June 2028, so the club is approaching a crucial period in terms of whether or not he'll agree to a contract extension.
Knowing that there's a chance the player might not agree to an extension when the time comes to sit down at the proverbial negotiating table, Arsenal have reportedly shown interest in the winger and closely monitoring his developments at Liverpool.
As per football journalist David Ornstein of The Athletic, Mikel Arteta and his chiefs have shown some interest. He stated:
"I think there is some interest from Arsenal in Rio Ngumoha. There’s interest from a lot of clubs in him. I did hear over the summer that Arsenal like him. They are allowed to like him… it doesn’t mean Liverpool will sell him. They want to renew his contract; he’s tied down until the summer of 2028."
Ornstein also noted RB Leipzig's interest while explaining that the player could extend his contract. But it's one to watch as the season progresses as he may have trouble nailing down a consistent starting role in his favored left wing position competing against the likes of Bradley Barcola, Víctor Muñoz, and Cody Gakpo - the first two arriving under new manager Andoni Iraola this summer.
Ngumoha's prospects temporarily looked like they might've been better off had Gakpo wound up joining Manchester City or Tottenham, but Liverpool wound up deciding to keep the Dutchman. A previous report states that Arsenal know this and would be ready to make a move for Ngumoha should he look to go elsewhere due to lack of ample minutes under Iraola.
Left wing is also an area Arsenal are looking to strengthen despite the arrival of Christos Tzolis and already having Eberechie Eze. They like Ngumoha's profile of being able to cut in from the left flank, similar to how Bukayo Saka does the opposite cutting in from the right flank and feel he could compliment the overall attack well.
Ngumoha Also Needs Minutes For His England Prospects
Ngumoha's England career is also something he'll have to consider, which could potentially be a factor in him having his head turned by Arsenal. There were huge hopes when Thomas Tuchel brought him up with the England World Cup squad as a training player, but it's difficult to see the trajectory going further if he doesn't get a lot of minutes at Liverpool.
If Arsenal are able to eventually offer him a platform where he can play far more often than he is at Anfield, it might just be too goof of an opportunity for the player to pass up. It also might be a situation where the Gunners offer enough money that the Merseyside club's higher-ups won't really be able to say 'no' to since The Gunners reportedly have an excess of cash ready to invest.
