Harvey Elliott faces an uncertain future at Aston Villa and could return to Liverpool in January
Harvey Elliott during Aston Villa vs Fulham
Harvey Elliott has struggled for game time at Aston Villa this season(Image: Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Harvey Elliott has been told he should return to Liverpool this month and fight for his place by former Reds midfielder David Thompson.
Elliott has endured a torrid time at Villa Park since completing a loan switch on deadline day, with a view to making it permanent in the summer. Villa would trigger a £35 million buy clause if the 22-year-old were to make 10 appearances.
That initially looked as though it would be a formality, but after making a handful of appearances under Unai Emery at the start of the campaign, Elliott has been essentially exiled from the playing squad since October. He has not featured for Villa since a four-minute cameo against Feyenoord in the Europa League on October 2.
He has made only a handful of bench appearances and has often been left out of the squad entirely, while not being afforded any minutes on the pitch. Emery confirmed in his press conference this week that a decision not to sign Elliott permanently was made by the Midlands club "months ago", and that his absence has nothing to do with a lack of effort or application in training, but simply Villa ensuring the buy clause will not be triggered.
That has understandably left all three parties in quite a predicament now the January window is here. It has been widely reported there is no recall clause in Elliott’s loan deal, which means if the player is to return to Anfield this month, the agreement would likely have to be cancelled in its entirety, potentially carrying financial implications for both clubs.
Elliott, who is evidently not favoured by Liverpool head coach Arne Slot, is also unable to go out on loan elsewhere due to the fact he has played minutes for both the Reds and Villa this season. FIFA rules stipulate that players cannot represent more than two clubs in any given season, which makes a league operating on a different calendar, such as the MLS, Elliott’s only transfer option this month.
Harvey Elliott faces an uncertain future at Aston Villa and could return to Liverpool in January.
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However, according to Thompson, who made over 50 appearances for Liverpool during his playing days before retiring young at 29, Elliott should seize the opportunity to return to Anfield and fight for his place. The World Cup dream has certainly all but faded given how his first few months at Villa have panned out, so returning to Liverpool should, at the very least, give him a realistic opportunity to fight for minutes on the pitch.
"I think they should rip up the contract, the agreement with Villa and go back and play," Thompson said on No Tippy Tappy Football. "Because ultimately he only left because he wanted to prove himself and try and get in the World Cup squad.
"But it has not worked out so I think he is caught between the devil and deep blue sea as well because he can not play for three clubs in one season. He needs to go back to Liverpool."
Liverpool have, of course, endured something of an injury crisis this season and their attacking options are severely thin at present. The Reds were arguably already an attacker light after not replacing Luis Diaz following his summer move to Bayern Munich, and a recent long-term injury sustained by Liverpool’s marquee summer signing Alexander Isak has now exacerbated the issue.
Mohamed Salah also faces an uncertain future at Anfield, while he is currently away representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations. Other summer arrivals Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz have featured heavily, but both have seemingly struggled to complete 90 minutes regularly.