Emile Heskey thinks Bayern München will always be a temptation for Rio Ngumoha, but he wants the Liverpool winger to prove himself at Liverpool first. "So there will be that sort of temptation, but as a young lad you always wanna try and do well first where you are before you actually start branching out," Heskey told liverpoolecho.co.uk. "He’s a fantastic dribbler but now he's really got to be looking at his end product in terms of goals, assists and his contribution to the team."

Liverpool first, Germany later

The part that will matter to Liverpool supporters is the order Heskey gives it. Ngumoha has made only 3 Premier League appearances this season and played 100 league minutes, with 0 goals and 0 assists in league action. He has been an unused substitute in 2 of Liverpool's last 3 Premier League games, which tells you he is still building into the senior side rather than driving it.

That is why Heskey's advice is really a development check. "So I do believe that he'll want to stake his claim and really cement himself at Liverpool first and then move on," he said. This is not a push for an immediate exit, and it is not hard to see why. A player with Ngumoha's dribbling can draw interest, but the next step is turning that into output.

Why Bayern keeps coming up

Heskey's Bayern point is built on the players Ngumoha would see there. He specifically named Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Jude Bellingham and Jobe Bellingham as examples of English talent doing well in Germany. He also said, "There will always be temptation when clubs like Arsenal are coming around, and especially Bayern."

The logic is clear enough. Bayern are a club young attackers can look at and see a quick route into a big stage, while Ngumoha is still at the stage where Liverpool are managing his minutes. With Liverpool having 6 games across 3 competitions in the remainder of October, there will be chances for him to add to those 100 league minutes, but the Premier League numbers still point to a player at the start of the climb.

Heskey's view is the right one here. Bayern may be part of Ngumoha's long-term thinking, but the immediate job is simple, get more minutes at Liverpool, turn the dribbling into goals and assists, and make the conversation about a move far less urgent.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →