Harvey Elliott has been dealt a tough assessment of his season-long loan at Aston Villa, with Arne Slot confirming that the midfielder will return to Merseyside in the summer
11:43, 15 May 2026
Harvey Elliott
Harvey Elliott has struggled for game time during his season-long loan at Aston Villa(Image: 2026 CameraSport)
Former Premier League striker Gabby Agbonlahor has called Harvey Elliott's season-long loan at Aston Villa a "disaster."
Elliott's spell at the West Midlands club has fallen well short of expectations, with the move failing to deliver the increased game time initially anticipated. While Villa has performed strongly overall, Elliott has struggled to break into the side under Unai Emery and has quickly slipped out of favor.
As a result, the midfielder has made just nine appearances, totaling only 284 minutes of first-team action this season, leaving his development stalled in an uncertain position. It comes as the Villa manager apologizes to Elliott over the "embarrassing" situation.
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news and rumors today LIVE: Bradley Barcola latest as Chelsea target Xabi AlonsoREAD MORE: Wataru Endo gets World Cup lifeline after surgery and Liverpool injury absence
With the season not going how anybody planned for Elliott, particularly with the World Cup approaching, Agbonlahor says he has nothing but sympathy for the 23-year-old.
"The poor kid, mate," said Agbonlahor on talkSPORT. "23 years of age, I've gone to an Aston Villa side, European football, exciting manager.
"He's thinking, 'This is my season to get on that plane for the World Cup.' It's been a disaster! I feel for Harvey Elliott, the player. Football clubs are the worst. When they don't want someone, I've seen it at Aston Villa myself!
"When they don't want anybody, they will make your life hell. [They] don't care about your mental health, they'll be all over you to get you out."
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was questioned about Elliott during his pre-match press conference on Thursday, ahead of Liverpool’s trip to face Villa in Birmingham the following day. The midfielder is ineligible to play against his parent club.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
"I think for him (Elliott), everyone, didn't work as out as we wanted it," said Slot.
"Usually sign a player on loan to use him, but hasn't happened a lot. Not for me to answer why that it is, but it is never nice for not many minutes. I assume he played more with us last season, and he went there for more time.
"Such a talented player, he did so well at U21 Euros. You want a player like that to play more. But he went to a good team with a lot of good players. Not for me to answer, but it's always a pity when a player like that doesn't play a lot.
Article continues below
"He is contracted to us, so he will be with us at the start of next season."
Slot may have benefited from having Elliott available this season, with his squad heavily impacted by injuries and frequent changes to the starting XI. The Dutchman has struggled to establish consistency amid ongoing fitness issues across key players.
Elliott’s long-term future remains uncertain, with questions over whether he will leave Anfield again before the end of the upcoming summer transfer window.