Unai Emery has admitted Harvey Elliott‘s situation at Aston Villa is “embarrassing for everyone involved” and feels he must apologise “every day.”
Emery and Slot have readily discussed Elliott’s fortunes this season with the press, with the former having publicly declared the 23-year-old was not in his plans early on in the season.
Liverpool had struck an agreement that saw Elliott join on an initial loan deal, with an obligation to buy for £35 million once he reached 10 Premier League appearances.
Instead, he has had just nine outings in all competitions for a measly total of 277 minutes. The situation, Emery says, is “embarrassing for everyone.”
“To now explain about the reason for this decision is very difficult, or it is easy, but it is not the moment,” Emery said after being asked about Elliott’s situation, via Birmingham Live.
"It's something embarrassing for everybody involved"
Unai Emery apologises to Harvey Elliott, who has has played only 109 minutes for Aston Villa in the Premier League during a season-long loan from Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/bbjBuugD9x
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 14, 2026
“Of course, it is something embarrassing for everyone involved.
“My apologies for Harvey Elliott is every day in my mind. But it is [about] responsibility. We have our responsibility and Liverpool have their responsibility.
“It is something, as a human and as a person, how the season has gone has been difficult.”
Emery appears to have hinted at Liverpool not doing their part to help Elliott after the 10-appearance clause remained, despite the chance to change the terms of the agreement.
Aston Villa's Harvey Elliott (right) celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Carabao Cup third round match at the Gtech Community Stadium, London. Picture date: Tuesday September 16, 2025.
In February, Emery publicly said the situation could change without the clauses, although that feels disingenuous, given that he was free to play Elliott in every other competition without a limit.
“If they take off the clauses to play matches and for us to buy him, (I said to him) ‘You are going to play here with us, it’s a sport decision’,” Emery said earlier this year.
“But now it’s a sport decision and a business decision. My sport decision is still there, ‘You are deserving to play, we need your qualities in the field, you are going to play.’
“But in case the clauses are still there, now it is Liverpool – they have the key.”
Harvey Elliott to return to Liverpool for pre-season
With Elliott a focus pre-match for both managers, Slot confirmed he will return to Liverpool for pre-season: “He’s contracted to us, so he will be with us at the start of the season.”
As for a year spent predominantly on the sidelines, Slot said it was not for him to answer why Elliott has seen so few minutes at Villa, as he too lamented on a disappointing campaign.
“I think for him, for everyone, it didn’t work out as he wanted it, as we wanted it, and probably also how Villa wanted it,” Slot told reporters on Thursday.
“You usually sign a player or bring him in on loan to use him, but that hasn’t happened a lot, and that’s not for me to answer why that is.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, August 25, 2024: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot (R) and Harvey Elliott after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 2-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“But of course, it’s never nice for a player not to make so many minutes, especially after the season he had with us, where he made, I assume, I’m not even sure, but I assume he made more minutes with us than these 280.
“But he he went over there to get more playing time. But unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
“For such a talented player that did so well in the U21 Euros, you want a player like that to get more and more playing time.
“It’s always a pity if a player hardly plays for two years, let alone a player of that age that has shown during the Euros that he’s such a good player.”