Chelsea set for Liverpool transfer windfall after being left frustrated

Chelsea are locked in a dispute with Liverpool over the compensation fee for young talent Rio Ngumoha, with a Premier League tribunal yet to decide on the amount - a situation that could potentially benefit the Blues. Ngumoha, who celebrates his 17th birthday this Friday, began his football journey at Stamford Bridge in 2016 but signed a professional contract with the Reds last summer, leaving those in west London frustrated at losing such a promising player.

The youngster made an impression during pre-season, but it was his performance on Monday night that truly caught attention when he came off the bench to score the winning goal for Liverpool in the 100th minute against Newcastle. This feat made him Liverpool's youngest-ever goalscorer and the fourth youngest in Premier League history.

Despite losing the teenage sensation, Chelsea are still pursuing a compensation fee. A tribunal was scheduled a year ago to determine how much Liverpool owe their rivals.

No decision has been reached yet, but according to the Daily Mail, Ngumoha's rapid progress and on-pitch achievements will only strengthen Chelsea's case for a higher fee when the dispute is finally resolved.

FA rules stipulate that young players who make significant strides in their new clubs can command higher fees. The FA website states: "The status of each club; the age of the player; the amount of any transfer fee paid by the former club on acquisition of the player and the length of time the former club has held the player's registration.

"(Also considered are) the terms of the new contract offered to the player by each club; the training and development of the player at the former club (specialist coaching, education, welfare); and the player's playing record and achievements."

A similar situation occurred with Liverpool when they had to agree on a compensation fee for Harvey Elliott after his move from Fulham. The highly-rated teenager's transfer resulted in a £4.3million settlement for Fulham following an 18-month tribunal.

John Terry, who is part of the setup at Chelsea, confessed that Ngumoha's departure will be seen as a missed opportunity. Speaking to The Sun, he said: "We had a really good Under-14 team and he was a big part of that.

"You don't see too many players that are exciting like him anymore. There's going to be many more over the years that as an academy you lose, but there's always one that you think, 'I'm a bit gutted we missed out on that one'."