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Aston Villa landed the player last summer but he has since struggled to make an impact
Aston Villa return to Premier League action this weekend with a tricky away trip to AFC Bournemouth. They head into their trip to Dorset off the back of their disappointing 1-0 home loss to Brentford last time out. The Midlands outfit weren’t able to find an equaliser against the Bees at Villa Park and slumped to a defeat.
Nevertheless, they remain in a strong position in the table after 24 fixtures. They are inside the top four along with Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. Unai Emery is looking to get them back into the Champions League this season.
MLS escape route remains open for Aston Villa loanee Harvey Elliott
The Athletic have suggested that Elliott isn’t interested in a move to MLS at this moment in time. However, he is unable to play for another English club this season and isn’t getting enough game time at Aston Villa. Therefore, he should change his mind and try and pursue a switch to America to get some regular minutes over the next few months.
Their transfer window remains open until March ahead of their 2026 campaign. That means that Elliott will be able to join a new club in that league following the end of the European windows. He has been linked with Charlotte FC this winter, who are managed by Dean Smith.
Elliott, 22, was signed by Aston Villa on a temporary basis last summer to boost their attacking department. He was brought in to add more competition and depth to their options at the top end of the pitch. Things haven’t gone to plan for him though and he hasn’t been able to break into their starting XI.
Why Harvey Elliott should head to America
Elliott has no other choice now but to sit on the bench at Aston Villa unless he bites the bullet and goes to the States. The standard and reputation of the MLS has improved over recent years, especially after Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami move, and going there would give him the opportunity to play every week and develop his game. In addition, he can put himself in the shop window ahead of the summer.
The ex-England youth international doesn’t appear to have a future at Liverpool. The Reds gave him the green light to depart last August after he fell down the pecking order at Anfield. He has been on the books of the Merseyside giants since he joined them as a teenager from Fulham back in 2019.
As a result, he hasn’t been picked by Emery an awful lot and it remains to be seen whether he will end up meeting that criteria. He has been in limbo for the past few months and although he has featured in their last two outings against Red Bull Salzburg and Brentford, his future remains up in the air.
Emery said in December: "We are speaking with him and about his situation. He is not here with us. First, my decision and also the situation. He is on loan playing with us, but he is not definitely adding to us with a permanent contract.
"Hopefully we can get the best for him and the best for us. I respect him as a player and as a person. He is training well, but we have one circumstance with him. Hopefully we can get a solution for him to try to play consistently and try to continue in his career with us or not.”
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