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Unai Emery has slammed the door shut on Harvey Elliott’s Aston Villa career with a blunt declaration that the midfielder’s situation is “not changing” despite being back in the squad—even as the January transfer window races toward its February 2 deadline with just five days remaining.
The Spanish manager’s latest comments, delivered ahead of Villa’s Europa League clash on Wednesday, confirm what has been evident for months: the 22-year-old England international remains frozen out at Villa Park, caught in a contractual nightmare that has seen him play just four minutes of football since October 2.
Speaking to reporters on January 28, Emery made Villa’s position crystal clear when addressing Elliott’s return to the matchday squad against Newcastle three days earlier—his first Premier League inclusion since mid-October:
“There are still five days to finish the window,” said the Spaniard as quoted by the Athletic. “Everything we accepted before, only some injuries can change it, like Douglas Luiz is a player joining us because we had injuries in center midfield. With Harvey, it’s not changing. Our idea is that we spoke to him clearly. He’s a fantastic guy.”
“On Sunday, he was on the bench, and if we needed some help from him, he was ready to do it. He is in the squad tomorrow. But the situation is not changing for him that he has now.”
Villa have moved heaven and earth to bring Douglas Luiz back on loan from Juventus due to an injury crisis—with Boubacar Kamara out for the season, John McGinn sidelined for six weeks, and Youri Tielemans recently injured – but there is still no space for the Reds midfielder.
The message couldn’t be clearer: Elliott’s brief return to the bench was a temporary measure driven by necessity, not a change of heart. With the transfer window closing at 19:00 GMT on February 2, time is running out for any resolution to one of the January window’s most awkward sagas.
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