Slot may be brewing a bigger talent than Isak in "special” Liverpool teen

Liverpool have won five games in a row this season, first losing the Community Shield against Crystal Palace. It hasn't been easy. It hasn't been straight-forward.

But Liverpool rarely take the easy route, and it's exciting to think that the Reds perch atop the Premier League pile and kicked off their Champions League campaign with three points, having looked below their best.

Florian Wirtz hasn't yet clicked the pieces together following his £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, but he will. The German created five chances against Atletico Madrid, and his neat touches and link-up play made a convincing comment on his class.

And, moreover, Liverpool have now integrated Alexander Isak into their playing squad, the Sweden striker joining in a British record £116m deal on deadline day and bringing with him one of the most dangerous striking skillsets in world football.

On Wednesday, he made his debut under the European lights, and he showed plenty of promise.

Alexander Isak's Liverpool debut

Isak looked bright on his Liverpool debut, especially considering he has played a paucity of football across the past three months.

Liverpool know what they have paid for. Last season, the 25-year-old scored 27 goals across all competitions, including the winner against Arne Slot's side in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Now, he's Anfield's, and fans can expect many goals across the coming years, and silverware besides.

He might not have bagged himself a debut goal against the Spaniards, but the Sweden star looked sharp, with signs of an elite partnership with the aforementioned Wirtz evident throughout. One analyst marvelled at the duo, saying their "link-up looks terrifying".

This is Liverpool's now. These are the superstars who have been signed for significant fees to propel Slot's project even further forward after the Premier League title was so confidently claimed last year.

Liverpool broke any number of financial records this summer, but this was achievable after many years of calculated diligence. FSG are nothing if not prudent, after all.

But this spills into every corner of Liverpool's wider system, and it's not just the big-money buys who are shaping the Anfield side's future, with one teenager in particular boasting the talent to one day become the cream of the crop, perhaps even ahead of Isak.

Liverpool may have a bigger talent than Isak

Liverpool are in good hands. There will be peaks and troughs over the coming years, but it's pretty nailed-on that the Reds will challenge for the biggest honours nine times out of ten across the coming years.

Isak leads the line, and he's flanked by so many talented players. One of whom is Rio Ngumoha, the 17-year-old winger who announced himself emphatically at the start of the season.

Liverpool poached one of Chelsea's prized Cobham talents in 2024 and swiftly integrated him into the youth set-up on Merseyside, with a pathway lit up toward the senior side.

Ngumoha started on the left wing as Liverpool beat Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third round last season, and he caught the eye with his snappy footwork and slick dribbling.

But it was against Newcastle United at the start of the current campaign that Ngumoha truly made his name known.

Liverpool had squandered their lead against the ten-man Magpies, and it looked like they were heading for a draw. But up stepped the 17-year-old, off the bench and crackling with energy as he converted Mohamed Salah's cross-box pass.

Hailed as a "special" player by journalist Bence Bocsak, it looks like this could be a season of numerous achievements for the England U18 star, who is very much on the fast track to the top.

He's not the tallest, but Ngumoha is stocky and powerful and purposeful on the ball. He is endowed with the athleticism needed for someone of his profile, carrying the ball upfield and into the danger area.

His development must not be rushed, but it's hard to contain such a thrilling talent. If Ngumoha keeps on as he is, there's every chance he will meet his high-ceilinged potential and smash through it, becoming a player who dominates and dictates for Liverpool. A talisman for Slot's side.

Development is not a linear thing in football. Salah only achieved worldwide recognition after signing for Liverpool aged 25, while Virgil van Dijk was 26 when he completed his record-breaking move from Southampton to Merseyside.

Isak is the now, but is Ngumoha not too? The teenage prodigy scored the winner at St. James' Park when Isak was still contracted to Newcastle, did he not?

His emergence stopped sporting director Richard Hughes from moving to sign a new left-sided forward after Luis Diaz's sale to Bayern Munich.

But it's more than fair to say that Ngumoha has plenty of potential yet to tap into, and that's an exciting thing.

As he continues to go from strength to strength, there's no doubt in Slot and the Liverpool coaching staff's minds that this is a potential superstar, one who has already proved his worth in one of the best teams in the world and one who, soon, could be rivalling Isak as the superstar in Slot's Liverpool team.

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