Man City 3-0 Liverpool: Match Review
Liverpool have several players on loan who are enduring difficult spells so far this season.
It was a move that Liverpool would have reluctantly sanctioned.
There is no doubt that Arne Slot would have loved to have kept Harvey Elliott in his Reds squad. But the Anfield head coach understood the attacking midfielder yearned for pastures new.
Elliott’s performances at the Under-21 European Championships underlined that he was ready to make a step up. He was awarded Player of the Tournament and opened the scoring in England’s victory over Germany in the final to secure back-to-back titles.
When it emerged that Aston Villa were the club poised to sign Elliott, it was the sort of move that he deserved. Unai Emery’s side finished sixth last campaign and reached the Champions League quarter-finals. Elliott was joining an outfit that would be competing in the upper echelons. A loan deal with the obligation to buy for £35 million if he makes 10 appearances looked right for all parties.
But so far, Elliott’s time at Villa Park has been disappointing. The 22-year-old has found himself out of Emery’s plans. He’s been omitted from Villa’s squad for the past two games he’s been available for and was left on the bench for the two beforehand.
There is little wonder why fans of both Liverpool and Villa feel that the loan deal could end in January. If the situation changes, it must be considered. Villa would want to free up the wage bill and not splash out £35 million if Elliott does make five more outings. Based on what has happened so far, he does not appear to be in Emery’s long-term vision.
Liverpool could see Elliott as someone that could add something for the second half of the season, or look for another loan that leads to a sale. It’s a situation to keep abreast of.
And Elliott is not the only member of the Reds’ squad who might well find himself back on Merseyside in January. Liverpool will surely be keeping tabs on the situations of James McConnell and Viteslav Jaros at Ajax.
Both made the switch to the Dutch giants on respective loan moves to reunite with Johnny Heitinga. The former Holland defender was part of Slot’s backroom staff last season and was highly popular among Liverpool’s players. A switch to Ajax offered both the chance to represent a major European outfit and to develop.
But Heitinga has already been handed his marching orders, with the Amsterdam-based side foundering in the Eredivisie and lost all four Champions League matches. "It's a painful decision. But looking back at the past few months, we must conclude that things have turned out quite differently from what we had envisioned," technical director Alex Kroes said.
"We've seen too little progress and have unnecessarily dropped points. We know it can take time for a new coach to work with a squad that has changed. We have given John that time, but we believe it's best for the club to appoint someone else to lead the team."
Goalkeeper Jaros featured twice for Liverpool last season, coming off the bench to replace an injured Alisson Becker in a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace. He began the campaign as Ajax’s No.1, starting the opening 11 games. However, towards the end of Heitinga’s tenure, Jaros lost his berth to 42-year-old Remko Pasveer and it has remained that way. In Ajax’s 2-1 loss to FC Utrecht last weekend, Jaros was on the bench for a fifth successive game.
He was joined by McConnell, who played no part. The midfielder is well regarded by Liverpool boss Slot and his predecessor Jurgen Klopp. McConnell memorably came off the bench in the Reds’ Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley in 2024. Injuries have played their part in McConnell’s struggles at Ajax so far. But he has played just seven times, with two being starts.
Last season, Liverpool were not hesitant to make mid-season decisions on some of their loanees. Stefan Bajcetic left Red Bull Salzburg after Klopp’s former assistant Pep Lijnders was sacked and joined Las Palmas. Calvin Ramsay (Wigan to Kilmarnock) and Kaide Gordon (Norwich to Portsmouth). If the situations of Elliott, Jaros and McConnell do not improve, similar choices could be taken.
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