Arne Slot will need to go back to the drawing board at Liverpool.placeholder image
Arne Slot will need to go back to the drawing board at Liverpool. | Getty Images
Liverpool could see Harvey Elliott return to Anfield after Unai Emery’s recent comments
Over the summer, Liverpool fans came to terms with the likelihood of Harvey Elliott leaving Anfield behind for the greater good of his career.
His limited appearances in Arne Slot’s first season left him seriously considering a move away from the Reds, despite publicly expressing his love for the club on more than one occasion.
Elliott’s impressive performances for England during their Euro U21 triumph over the summer led to him wanting to push for a place in the senior camp. Needing regular time on the pitch to put himself on Thomas Tuchel’s radar, Elliott signed for Aston Villa on loan, hoping opportunities to play would be easier to come by.
However, it’s been nothing short of a disastrous move for the 22-year-old, whose position at Villa Park now very much hangs in the balance.
Liverpool could miss out on £35m Harvey Elliott sale
Elliott’s loan deal with Aston Villa includes a £35 million obligation to buy fee, as well as sell-on and buy-back clauses to benefit Liverpool. The Reds, despite losing a versatile, hard-working and passionate player, would have pocketed a handsome profit through the Elliott sale, while essentially holding first dibs if they ever wanted to re-sign him.
That could all be about to fall apart, though. Despite the world expecting Elliott to become a regular fixture under Unai Emery, he has been seriously deprived of chances. The 22-year-old has played just 174 minutes of football this season out of a possible 19 games so far. His last appearance was a four-minute cameo in the Europa League on October 2nd.
Now, it seems Villa could opt to cut their loan deal with Elliott short by sending him back to Liverpool in January.
Emery was recently asked whether Elliott would be returning to Merseyside in the new year, to which he responded: “He is one of our players and hopefully he can help us. Then, we are going to decide,” (via The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell).
“Firstly, there are other players performing very well. This is the first argument of why he is not playing.”
Should Villa sever their deal with Elliott in the new year, Liverpool will lose their chance of the £35 million sale in the summer. Leaving them to decide whether to reintegrate him at Anfield amid this crisis in form, or find another club to sell to.
Harvey Elliott back to square one at Aston Villa
Elliott has impressed fans and professionals alike over the years and Liverpool’s decision to offload him would have been a tough one. Despite all he offered the Reds, they couldn’t return the favour with regular football.
Over the summer, Joe Cole was full of praise for Elliott and predicted no shortage of clubs to be knocking on his door after winning Player of the Tournament at the 2025 U21 Euros.
“I love the kid, he plays football the right way. I am excited for his future. He has done a great job for Liverpool, but if he decides to move on, there are levels to move on again. That passion, he can show every week.
“Anyone outside the top six he comfortably walks into, and then two years on that level he comes back to Liverpool's level and competes.
“He started as a young man at Fulham but his learning has been spread out. Teams from all over Europe will be looking for Harvey Elliott's agent's number.”
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