John Terry

WHEN Rio Ngumoha curled in his historic goal for Liverpool, fans of Chelsea AND Manchester United should have felt a kick in the guts.

Because although the teenage winger left the Blues’ Academy to join the Reds last year, London-born Ngumoha was a childhood United fan who spent time with the Red Devils before opting for Anfield.

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The wonderkid’s sensational winner against Newcastle made him the youngest scorer in Liverpool’s history and the fourth youngest in the Premier League era.

At 16 years and 361 days, Ngumoha was just one day older than Wayne Rooney when he announced himself to the world with an amazing strike against Arsenal in October 2022.

And it left Chelsea supporters in particular wondering how the club let one of English football’s greatest young talents get away.

Stamford Bridge legend John Terry is among those devastated that the club lost Ngumoha to their rivals.

Terry told SunSport: “He is a very ambitious boy that wanted to play first-team football and believed that was his pathway into Liverpool’s first team.

“I’m still in contact with him, but just a fantastic player. 

“There’s going to be many more over the years that as an academy you lose, but there’s always one that you think, a bit gutted we missed out on that one.”

Terry has been back at Chelsea for a couple of years as a mentor to players at the club’s Academy and knew Ngumoha was something special.

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Terry said: “We had a really good under-14 team and he was a big part of that.

“Just seeing him taking it and driving the defenders, being a defender myself, [I was] thinking I wouldn’t have liked that at all.

“You don’t see too many players that are exciting like him anymore. 

“He was a very confident player, taking the ball on the back foot, lots of personality, very confident in himself.

“Since the likes of [Eden] Hazard and Joe Cole and those types of players that are very confident and get the fans off their seat as well…I think football’s become a little bit stale and a little bit kind of tactical over the last four or five years. 

“It’s refreshing to see players like him in the team and I’m sure the Liverpool players are speaking very well of him.

“He will be a top, top player, I’m sure of that.”

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From the moment Ngumoha came on against Newcastle, he showed the same confidence that had seen him grab the headlines in pre-season.

Terry was speaking after the winger had crowned a brilliant run with a fabulous finish in a friendly against Athletic Bilbao at Anfield, following an earlier strike against Yokohama Mariners during the Reds’ Far East tour. 

Terry said: “He’s still only 16, which is incredible, but the confidence to kind of shrug people off, well-known established players in the Premier League, and go on and kind of chop inside and then put it in the bottom corner is a very good thing to do.

“But he showed that ability in the academy and unfortunately we’ve lost him.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on the boy, and I wish him well because he’s a great player.

“He’s also a great little kid as well, someone who wants to learn and wants to get better.”

Chelsea fans will be as gutted as Terry about losing Ngumoha, but United supporters should also wonder what might have been.

Because in one of his few interviews, he revealed that he was a United fan.

In a viral TikTok video promoting Adidas’ F50 boots, in which he was made to choose between David Beckham and Jude Bellingham, Ngumoha admitted: “I’m a Man United fan, I didn’t really watch Beckham, but I have to go with David Beckham”

In June last year Ngumoha spent time with United, who pushed for his signature, but admitted defeat to their rivals who were further ahead in the race to sign the talented youngster. 

Mystery surrounds the details of Ngumoha’s move from London to Anfield.

Often when the hottest young talents change club, the saga is played out in public in a bitter row. 

In response to losing one of their most talented teenagers, the Stamford Bridge hierarchy reportedly DENIED accreditation requests from Liverpool and Manchester United scouts who would be looking to poach their top players – though those in charge denied having done so.

In Ngumoha’s case there is radio silence, with no confirmation of what compensation Liverpool have had to pay Chelsea to snatch the player who joined the Blues Academy when he was eight.

Compare and contrast what happened when the Reds poached two other youngsters from London clubs.

Fulham were furious when Liverpool moved for Harvey Elliott in 2019 when he was 16.

It was not until February 2021 that the Reds were ordered to pay £1.5m, plus up to £2.8m in performance-related add-ons – a record fee at the time for a player of that age.

Further back, Liverpool caused controversy with their signing of Raheem Sterling.

The QPR youngster was only 15 when the Reds made their move in 2010, joining for an initial fee of £450,000 which would rise to up to £2m.

Ngumoha’s brilliance was no secret to anyone involved in youth development in English football.

He played a key role in Chelsea’s under-16 team being crowned national champions.

Ngumoha’s amazing individual goal for the Blues against Wolves in the Premier League Cup final for Under-17 sides in April 2024 was perhaps the first time a wider public saw his talent up close.

Ngumoha joined Liverpool officially in September last year, a few days after turning 16.

That is the age at which young players can sign two-year scholarship terms at clubs which combine more intensive training with ongoing academic execution.

Only Chelsea know what they offered him to sign scholar’s terms.

Transfer commentator Fabrizio Romano reported that the Reds broke their usual pay structure for young players to sign Ngumoha.

Others, including Terry, say that Ngumoha was impressed by the pathway for young players at Anfield after Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah were fast-tracked into the first team.

But the reality is that clubs poach each other’s top young talent all the time and Chelsea do it as much, if not more, than anyone else.

Tyler Dibling, like Ngumoha, was 16 when he left Southampton for the Blues in 2022, only to return to the Saints later the same year.

Dibling has just joined Everton in a deal worth up to £40m and is regarded by some as a potential superstar. 

But Terry is not the only one to believe that in Ngumoha, Chelsea lost a generational talent.

And the young man himself has big dreams.

“I truly believe I can win the Ballon d’Or one day.

“I want to be regarded as one of the best players to ever play football and be a legend of the game.

“The love for football started when I was four or five, I was watching my brother, and I wanted to be like him.

“I was going to academies from a young age, and it was a big thing when so many clubs wanted to sign me.

“I have learned you have to be resilient and believe in yourself, you can have a few bad games, but you have to have that belief that you are the best.”

What Ngumoha did on Monday night at St James’ Park was the first step to fulfilling those dreams. 

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JOHN TERRY was the epitome of Chelsea’s golden era under Roman Abramovich.

The most successful captain in the club’s history now thinks the Blues are ready to challenge under new ownership.

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For all the chopping and changing at Stamford Bridge, Terry — who mentors players in the academy — can see a bright future after a summer of success.

Eight months ago, boss Enzo Maresca was shooting down suggestions of a title challenge.

Six months ago, the fans were chanting angrily towards their manager that they wanted “their Chelsea back”.

Since then, Todd Boehly’s Blues have claimed a Champions League place, won the Conference League and the Club World Cup.

And JT – who has exclusively revealed he’s made a decision about his own future in the game – does not think Maresca will talk down their title hopes any more.

The Chelsea legend, 44, told SunSport: “I really liked the honesty from the manager because the message is clear to the players. We’re not there yet.

“If you’re the manager now coming into that dressing room and you’re going, ‘We’ve got a chance this year’, the players will think we’ve got a chance. This year I think his message will be different.

“He was spot on because we were young, it was a little bit up and down last year. At the moment, we’re clearly building and moving in the right direction.

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“I’m not sitting here saying I want to wait five years to win another Premier League. We’ve got to go into it 100 per cent with the mindset of going, ‘Yes, we have to try to win the league this year’.

“Without a shadow of a doubt. But there’s other big competitions as well.

“You fight right to the end until it’s not possible. The Premier League was done last season, Liverpool were very good last year and rightly the winners. We have to compete for that again.”

Key to success will be whether or not the fledgling leaders within Maresca’s squad can find another level.

Reece James, 25, was called out by his manager last season for not doing enough as a captain but has stepped up since.

Centre-back Levi Colwill looked to be following in Terry’s footsteps at the back before his cruel ACL injury last week.

And Chelsea’s 15-time trophy-winning former skipper has long been impressed by Enzo Fernandez.

But James staying fit and leading on the pitch will be vital after missing months at a time with hamstring, knee and thigh problems.

Chelsea’s transfer deals

IN

• Joao Pedro – from Brighton – £60m
• Jamie Gittens – from Dortmund – £52m
• Jorell Hato – from Ajax – £37m
• Liam Delap – from Ipswich – £30m
• Estevao – from Palmeiras – £29m
• Dario Essugo – from Sporting Lisbon – £18.5m
• Kendry Paez – from Independiente – £17.5m
• Mamadou Sarr – from Strasbourg – £12.5m

TOTAL – £256.5m

OUT

• Noni Madueke – to Arsenal – £52m
• Joao Felix – to Al-Nassr – £44m
• Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – to Everton – £28m
• Djordje Petrovic – to Bournemouth – £25m
• Lesley Ugochukwu – to Burnley – £25m
• Bashir Humphreys – to Burnley – £15m
• Mathis Amougou – to Strasbourg – £12.5m
• Kepa Arrizabalaga – to Arsenal – £5m
• Marcus Bettinelli – to Man City – £5m

TOTAL – £183.5m

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Terry added: “For Reece, concentrate on staying fit and having a fully-fit season for him is the most important thing. He can make such a difference.

“We’ve seen the quality. When Reece is at it, he is the world’s best right-back.

“When you’ve picked up a couple of injuries like Reece has had, it’s difficult to really feel like you belong.

“So when you start demanding from people around you, when you’re the one not playing, that’s also very difficult.

“When you’re in the starting line-up week in, week out, it’s easy to command and run the dressing room — and the standards of the football club.”

Terry made more than 500 appearances as captain and says boss Jose Mourinho always demanded his skipper be robust and a regular.

JT said: “You need to be robust. You need to understand that you can push through little injuries, niggles, and you can kind of come out the other side of it.

“You need to manage your body throughout the week and all of that.”

As well as mentoring players in the Under-18s and U21s, Terry stops in to catch up and offer support to players such as James and Colwill.

He even spoke to the pair of defenders before this interview.

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Terry added: “We talk generally about football and some situations — but it’s super relaxed.

“Out of pure respect, I don’t get too involved because I fully respect the  manager and his role.

“I would never want to say something that goes against what he’s saying to those players.

“But the boys know I’m always there if they need me.

“Not just the defenders but the ones that have just arrived. Always here to help. That’s my role as someone who has been at Chelsea for so long and the club means the world to me.”

And that is the clubman role he wants some of his academy predecessors to take up.

Terry said: “You’ve got Reece and there’s a few other boys that really live and breathe Chelsea.

“But the boys that come in and really buy into the club, this is where the importance of Reece, Levi and the academy graduates really play an important role.

“This is how we do it. This is what we do at Chelsea. We win football trophies and we win cups on a regular basis.

“All the top clubs have that. Man United have that, Liverpool have that, Arsenal. Spurs not so much . . . 

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“But all the big football clubs have that — they find a way to win.

“So in terms of where we were last year . . . a little bit inexperienced. Thiago Silva left and all of that. But the team managed to find a way to win.”

Terry also believes recent successes will be transformative for the Blues.

While the Conference League would have been scoffed at during Terry’s era had it existed, now it is viewed as a stepping stone within the camp.

He said: “It gives you belief, back when we won our first one, the 2004-05 Carling Cup at Cardiff, it gives you belief that it can be done within the squad.

“When you’re a young group, it ripples throughout the whole squad of players.”

If this group can match what Terry and his team-mates did after that Carling Cup win 20 years ago, the Blues will be in for one hell of a ride once more.

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The BBC has told Greg Wallace that they don’t believe he’ll change his behaviour in a scathing letter from compliance boss Claire Powell that has been shared with The Mirror

Gregg Wallace struggles to grasp the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, BBC bosses claim. And in a letter sacking him from his MasterChef job, the corporation insisted he is unlikely to change amid accusations that include groping, flashing and making sexual comments that go back years.

While the 60-year-old has admitted using inappropriate language at times, he denies the more serious allegations and has now hired an “aggressive” lawyer who may challenge his axing. In the letter from the BBC to Wallace, extracts of which have been seen by the Mirror, compliance boss Claire Powell refers to the findings of a law firm’s probe into his behaviour – which are yet to be released.

She said: “I do not have the confidence that you can change what seems to be learned behaviour for you to make what you perceive to be jokes in the work -environment, without understanding the boundaries of what is appropriate.

“You acknowledge some of your comments have offended or upset people. But it is clear that you struggle to distinguish the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate -behaviour in the workplace, as well as lacking an awareness of why your behaviour impacts others.

“I do not have confidence that your behaviour can change.”

A source close to Wallace said the TV chef claims the letter is unfair. But show producers Banijay are understood to be in no doubt about the next steps that need to be taken after the report by law firm Lewis Silkin.

The insider said the letter refers to Wallace’s autism and appears to accept his condition. The source said: “He’s been formally diagnosed with autism, a recognised disability, but the BBC seems to be saying it can’t cope with a disabled person. It sounds a lot like discrimination to us.”

Wallace is now understood to have hired Dan Morrison, one of the UK’s top litigation lawyers who has worked with Nigel Farage and footballer John Terry.

His firm’s profile page states: “Dan has recovered billions of pounds for his clients over 25 years of legal practice. He is known for his aggressive approach to litigation and his ability to negotiate favourable settlements for his clients.”

Wallace is expected to try to sue the BBC, although it is not yet clear if this will be for unfair dismissal, or something else.

He was warned by the BBC after a complaint was raised about him in 2018 on the show Impossible Celebrities. He apologised and was offered counselling.

Wallace was told in a meeting to change his behaviour and had coaching the following year. There were also complaints about him that same year on MasterChef. He was given a dressing down by Kate Phillips, who was then controller of entertainment and is now the BBC’s chief content officer.

She reportedly told Wallace his behaviour had been -“unacceptable and cannot continue”. BBC News has claimed that 50 more people have made claims about him.

Banijay last night declined to comment. The BBC also said it would not comment beyond the statement issued on Tuesday, which stated: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace.

“We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.”

Wallace insisted earlier this week: “I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience.”

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