Inside Harvey Elliott’s Aston Villa nightmare - and the Liverpool clause leaving him trapped

Harvey Elliott

Given the amount of problems Arne Slot has been wrestling with of late, it was understandable the Liverpool boss didn't want to add to them when asked about Harvey Elliott last week.

Quizzed on whether there was any prospect of the England Under-21 star returning to Anfield after barely featuring during his loan spell at Aston Villa,

Slot steered clear of providing a definitive answer either way, insisting the lack of game time was something that should be put to the door of Unai Emery.

Slot said: "No, I haven't had contact with him a lot. I think only once or twice and that was before he played Feyenoord away and after he played Feyenoord away, but that had more to do with that he played against a former club of mine.

"So no, I haven't been speaking to him. I am aware of his situation, of course. I knew how difficult it already was for him over here, so I think I know how he feels at this moment.

“But you should ask those questions at Villa and not over here when it's about his playing time over there."

Villans boss Emery himself exacerbated the issue further from Liverpool's perspective on Wednesday evening when he revealed that there was little prospect of the player securing a permanent move to Villa Park following his deadline-day switch on loan.

Emery said.

"We are speaking with him and about his situation,"

"He is not here with us (in Basel for a European fixture). 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. I have spoken with him two or three times about the situation we have with him.”

“Firstly, 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.”

Elliott has found it tough to establish himself at Villa since his short-term switch. The two clubs agreed a fee of £35m with both buy-back and sell-on clauses negotiated into the terms that were struck on September 1.

RB Leipzig were keen on the 22-year-old and West Ham United had also shown an interest earlier in the window

Liverpool, having nurtured Elliott since a 16-year-old after signing him from Fulham in the summer of 2019, ensured a buy-back clause were in the terms.

His "enormous potential" meant the Reds were keen to have the option to bring him back if he went on to show the kind of consistent quality they feel he is capable of.

But a few months into his time in Birmingham and Elliott sees himself out in the cold, unable to break through amid the mass of attacking midfielders at Villa Park.

Emery has preferred the likes of Morgan Rogers, Ross Barkley and Emi Buendia across the course of the campaign to date and there is an acceptance that the decision to sign Elliott in the closing hours of the window was driven by former sporting director Monchi, who left Villa just weeks later.

Emery, it is believed by those close to Villa, feels Elliott has yet to adapt to the demands placed on him and with the club still trying to avoid the pitfalls of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations, triggering a £35m fee for someone who isn't in the plans would be a foolish move.

Elliott needs to make 10 appearances for the deal to be made permanent but he is at just five so far as we approach the mid-December mark.

With Villa obligated to complete the transfer if he doubles his tally in the second half of the campaign, it's difficult to envision anything more than further stagnation in the early months of 2026 for a player who, it must be remembered, was part of a Premier League-winning squad just a few months ago.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it will be fascinating to see what happens next.

His one Premier League appearance for Liverpool this season - as a 96th-minute substitute in the 3-2 win at Newcastle United - means Elliott cannot play for another club this season due to FIFA's regulations.

It means Elliott may be forced to set up camp on the fringes for the second half of the campaign.

The long-term future for someone who doesn't turn 23 until April remains bright but, for now at least, it's difficult to envision a similarly brilliant short term.

He is a player trapped in the system.

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