Liverpool set to lose backroom figure who was key in Rio Ngumoha transfer coup

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Liverpool FC NewsFeaturesLiverpool FCLiverpool has been impacted heavily by changes both on and off the pitch, with even more switches expected to the backroom and recruitment team in the near futureLiverpool is set to lose a key backroom staff member this summer(Image: (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))Liverpool is set for yet more changes, as the academy recruitment team will be on the lookout for a new head of operations.According to journalist Pete O'Rourke, the Reds will lose Chris Dowling, who has the role of head of academy recruitment, as he looks set to leave the club. The recruitment expert has spent just over seven years with the Reds, starting off as a recruitment analyst within the academy ranks in 2019.He has since worked in the scouting department and as an assistant head of academy recruitment, before eventually stepping up to the main position permanently in July 2024.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's 31-man roster for the preseason tour of the United States has been announced.Dowling, who studied at Liverpool John Moores University, has played a key role in the recruitment processes that have driven the academy in recent years.Most notably, the Daily Mail reported back in 2025 that he was "instrumental" in getting Rio Ngumoha to join Liverpool as he considered his options.The winger, who was at Chelsea at the time, was looking at his future in the game, and it was claimed that a sales pitch from Dowling played a key role in getting a deal over the line.Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha impressed as he made his England debut against New Zealand(Image: eter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))It's a move that could prove to be a highlight for the head of academy recruitment as a long-term success for the team, while he is now set for a new opportunity elsewhere.Liverpool will now need to consider options to replace Dowling in his role, which is becoming increasingly important in a soccer landscape that is prioritizing the signing of youth players before they make it on the senior scene — with Ngumoha being proof of that.It remains to be seen who could make their way to Anfield for that job, but it demonstrates yet more change that FSG will need to deal with.After already dealing with a change in coach over the summer, as well as some key exits in the locker room, the switches continue to come away from the pitch.Michael Edwards left FSG earlier this month following a failure to implement the multi-club model that was originally intended when he made a return to work with the owners.Beyond him, there is a growing expectation that Richard Hughes will leave, as the sporting director enters the final year of his contract with the Reds.That leaves another important decision up to those at the very top, with the hope that the next arrivals can bring a stability that has been lacking for a couple of years now.Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FCAcademyRio Ngumoha