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The Athletic have provided a brief update on Harvey Elliott and his current predicament.
His season-long loan spell at Aston Villa has descended into a nightmare for everyone involved. Initially secured on deadline day in August, the move was intended to breathe new life into the 22-year-old’s career by giving him consistent minutes under Unai Emery. The agreement even reportedly featured a £35 million obligation to buy, activated if Elliott made 10 appearances for the Midlands club.
Yet that very clause has ended up working against him. Since October, Elliott has been restricted to only a few outings, effectively frozen out as Villa aim to avoid triggering the sizeable fee attached to his deal. The saga has now spilled into the open, with Unai Emery openly acknowledging that Elliott’s spell at Villa Park is essentially finished.
“We are in conversation with him regarding his situation. He is not currently with us,” Emery admitted in December. “We hope to find the best outcome for both him and the club… He is on loan with us, but there is no certainty that he will transition to a permanent deal.”
And Elliott’s situation is further complicated by transfer regulations.
Having already played a competitive match for Liverpool (off the bench in the 3-2 win over Newcastle United) and subsequently appearing in both the Premier League and EFL Cup for his loan club, he has now represented two teams in official fixtures this season.
Under FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, a player may only appear in competitive matches for a maximum of two clubs in Europe during a single season.
As a result, a loan to the MLS has been floated about, with the Athletic’s James Pearce now providing an update on the situation while speaking on the Blood Red Podcast:
“It would be a stretch to see it [MLS loan] happening. From the people I have spoken to that are involved with it at the minute, they think it’s highly unlikely that he will end up in the MLS.”
“But he is in limbo at the moment and I feel sorry for him. There definitely seems to be some sort of disagreement behind the scenes at Villa, about certain people wanting him – Emery does not appear to be one of them.”
“To not even have him on the bench… it must be tough for Elliott to take. I checked yesterday [Sunday], and Villa still haven’t contacted Liverpool over initiating discussions to terminate the loan.”
“We know it will cost Villa because there was a loan fee involved and a commitment to pay his wages for the rest of the season. I’m not sure what Villa think, maybe they want to keep him until the end of the season because they are paying for him anyway.”
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