Gabby Agbonlahor took aim at Aston Villa and Liverpool over Harvey Elliott's nightmare loan situation.
The 22-year-old midfielder from Merseyside looked set for a fresh start after he moved to Villa Park on a season-long loan last summer.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – JANUARY 29: Harvey Elliott of Aston Villa during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between Aston Villa FC and FC Salzburg at Villa Park on January 29, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
3
Harvey Elliott has zero goals and assists in his four Premier League appearances this seasonCredit: Getty
However, the deal includes an obligation to buy for the Midlands club, costing them £35million if the player makes ten appearances.
Elliott arrived at the Villans in the summer as a Champions League winner and two-time European Under-21 Championship winner.
He’s currently made four Premier League appearances, seven in all competitions.
Nevertheless, Unai Emery has stated multiple times this season that his side have no interest in signing him from Liverpool on a permanent basis.
Read more on premier league
The youngster has been excluded from matchday squads throughout the season however, due to Villa’s injury circumstances, Emery may have a greater need for the player.
The issue for Elliott being is that he could not feature for another club this season, having already played for Liverpool and Villa.
This meant that he could not go out on loan elsewhere for the remainder of the campaign.
Commenting on the situation during the talkSPORT Breakfast show on Thursday, ex-Villa player, Gabby Agbonlahor said: “You can see the manager's point of view.
“If you're the manager and the PSR problems they have, you can't just afford to spend £30m on a player that you don't see has a future at the club.”
On the other hand, Aston Villa’s circumstances have changed with multiple injuries to key midfielders, such as Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans.
Elliott was the star man for England U21s, winning Player of the Tournament at the 2025 UEFA European Under-21s competition
3
Elliott was the star man for England U21s, winning Player of the Tournament at the 2025 UEFA European Under-21s competitionCredit: Getty
With Villa still in the Europa League and the FA Cup, the prospect of games they could play means they need backup in the middle of the pitch.
Elliott played in Villa’s Europa League clash, in a 3-2 win over RB Salzburg, which followed him coming off the bench for the first time in the Premier League since September, in a 1-0 defeat to Brentford.
After the game, Emery spoke on the situation: "He played, doing his task well. He played to help us."
"I am happy for him, as well. He played fantastic how he helped us, but there is no changing the (situation) with him."
Agbonlahor added: “What I don’t like about this clause is when he got to the club in the summer, the managers probably looked at him and said ‘maybe I prefer Buendia than you’. Buendia has been in great form.”
“It's that clause of £30m to £35m if he plays ten games, but because they're halfway through the season now.”
There was talk that the player was offered to head Stateside to an MLS side after FIFA rules stated he was unable to play for another team in Europe
3
There was talk that the player was offered to head Stateside to an MLS side after FIFA rules stated he was unable to play for another team in EuropeCredit: Getty
“Maybe the manager might play him in two more games. Then he'll just put him down and say, listen, I can't play you.
“But I heard Liverpool and Aston Villa are in talks to try and make some sort of agreement. It's not fair.
“They've got to stop putting that clause in deals because poor Harvey Elliott, in a World Cup year, he's not going to play much football.”
Aston Villa's transfer business
There were a few arrivals and returns at Villa Park over the transfer window with Tammy Abraham making a permanent move, with Douglas Luiz and Leon Bailey returning from their loan moves.
Read More on talkSPORT
Villa, who are sitting in third-place, travel to the south coast to play Bournemouth on Saturday after only winning one of their last four matches.
The title hopefuls have dropped in form, with Manchester United only sitting behind by five points.