Having found himself further down the Liverpool pecking order under Arne Slot last season than he had been previously when Jürgen Klopp was in charge at the club, 22-year-old attacking midfielder Harvey
Elliott madethe difficult decision to move to Aston Villa last summer.
The loan deal, with a £35M obligation to buy if Elliott made ten appearances, was widely seen as the end of his Liverpool career. However, there were early signs that not all was well with Elliott at Villa as he was handed the number nine shirt and made a few unconvincing appearances as a centre forward.
The undersized playmaker on paper seems the antithesis of the profile of player one would deploy as a lone central striker, and it didn’t seem as though manager Unai Emery was trying to build a side with a false nine look and willing runners pushing past to provide the goal threat.
It seems, then, a fundamentally poor fit. As if Emery either hadn’t actually ever wanted Elliott or fundamentally didn’t have any idea of how to use him. After which it wasn’t hugely surprising to see the player frozen out. As a result, Elliott now hasn’t made a Villa appearance since September.
According to The Athletic, this has led to some understandable concerns at Liverpool as it appears Villa have decided that if Elliott doesn’t fit into Emery’s plans they will now seek to ensure—perhaps understandably from their point of view—that his £35M sale clause isn’t triggered.
It appears, then, that Elliott is set for a year rotting in Villa’s reserves, and while it was clear he wasn’t a top choice for Slot at Liverpool, he at least was on the fringes of the first team last season with the Reds and likely to get minutes in the domestic cups and the odd league appearance off the bench.
Despite the concerning situation, given the current status quo is bad for everyone bar Villa—and for Villa is simply perhaps the least bad option—there is said to have been no discussion between the parties about a potential January loan termination and a return to Liverpool.
Having played for both the Reds and Villa this season, Elliott can’t be sent out on loan to a third team if his loan is terminated, but training with Liverpool and a smattering of minutes would surely be in the best interest of all involved and improve Elliott’s odds of finding a good home next summer.
