Harvey Elliott’s career is definitely not a long, quiet river. Since his first professional appearances with Fulham in the League Cup in 2018, at just 15 years old, the striker has been on a roller coaster ride. The youngest player to debut in the Premier (16 years and 30 days), he also had his first transfer to Liverpool (€1.7 million) straight away. A fan of the Reds, the attacking midfielder was also courted by the biggest European clubs such as Manchester City, Real Madrid and PSG. With Jürgen Klopp, he patiently bides his time, and shows up during national cup matches.
A first turning point comes in September 2021. While he has started since the start of the season, the prodigy is seriously injured at Leeds. The verdict is terrible: ankle fracture with dislocation. 6 months later, he returned to competition without his newfound sensations. It is really during the following financial year (2022/2023) that he returns to competition with the first team. In a role of 12th man, the left-hander is having his first real full season only this time the problem comes from the collective. Liverpool are going through a bad patch and finish in 5th place in the Premier League.
Crowned best player of the Euro Espoirs this summer
Elliott is still irregular but he keeps the minutes coming and finally finds the right tempo in 2023/2024 where he finishes strong. With 4 goals and 14 assists in 53 matches in all competitions, he allowed the Reds to take 3rd place in the championship and conclude the glorious Klopp era with a League Cup. “What he taught us was how to become real players and real mengreeted the Englishman when his coach left. I think his playstyle is iconic and I think we’re going to take what we learned from the boss and bring it into the next chapter.»
Unfortunately, this new act is written without him. He suffered a broken foot at the start of the season and this time had to rest for almost three months. During his convalescence, Arne Slot found his team without the London native, who had to make do with crumbs during his return to competition. Despite some flashes, in particular in the Champions League where he scored three times all the same, the 22-year-old player is only a replacement solution (28 appearances in total for 5 goals and 3 assists). The decision was made to part with him in the summer of 2025 but the €65 million requested cooled everyone down and it was ultimately Aston Villa who managed to have him loaned on the last day of the transfer window.
His loan to Aston Villa turns into a fiasco
«I think it’s in everyone’s best interest that he didn’t get the playing time he probably deserved for the quality player he is. He always behaved very well», Estimated Slot after the officialization. The objective is simple for the English international hopeful (28 caps, 14 goals), winner of the U21 Euro by being crowned best player in the competition with 5 achievements: to pass the milestone and catch the eye of Thomas Tuchel to go to the A before playing in the World Cup. To do this, he must perform well with the Villans, who have had two excellent seasons with Unai Emery.
On paper, there is something to be won over. In fact, the affair is turning into a fiasco. At the end of September, the Basque technician expressed his doubts and Elliott’s involvement. First a substitute, the latter played 5 ends of matches before remaining seated on the bench, then heading to the stand. His last appearance on a match sheet dates back to October 19, 2025. Since then, he has disappeared from circulation and is only talked about through questions asked to the two clubs during press conferences. The €40 million purchase obligation after a certain number of matches played is also an obstacle.
Liverpool in embarrassment
Villa even wants to get rid of him in January to save his big salary (€5.7 million per year) or renegotiate the purchase clause. “I respect him as a player and as a person. He’s training well, but we have a problem with himexplained Emery on December 11. I hope we find a solution so that he can play and continue his career with us, or not. He is on loan to our club, but he does not join us permanently with a permanent contract.» For its part, the Mersey club does not want to hear about a premature return of the attacking midfielder, especially since he already played for Liverpool at the start of the season. He cannot therefore play for a 3rd team this season, except with a club from another continent and with a shifted calendar.
“Harvey is an Aston Villa player. He’s supposed to stay there for the season. For any questions about it, the best place to ask is at Villa”responded Slot in turn at a press conference on December 22. The Dutch coach did not really hide his annoyance on this subject. All of Liverpool is penalized. By staying in Birmingham, the player loses value but the Reds are not counting on him for the second half of the season either. A solution could be found with a loan in MLS for example, unless the departure of Salah for the CAN and especially the serious injury of Alexander Isak changes something…
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– UPDATE
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