By Tyler Eaton
It’s been a waste of a season for the 23-year-old, who joined Aston Villa hoping to impress enough to make England’s World Cup squad this summer. Instead, Harvey Elliott has played just 308 minutes for his loan club and has been stuck in limbo since a month of consistent gametime ended in October.
It now appears that he could be used as leverage in a deal to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig, who is reportedly valued at €100m.
Light of a Torrid Spell
The 23-year-old saw the funny side of his loan spell when celebrating Villa’s Europa League success on Instagram.
Elliott posted: ”Was written in the stars from the moment I signed! Up the ******* Villa. Played a huge part. All jokes aside, (to the) Villa fans, thanks so much for everything! Enjoy yourselves!”
Credit: Liverpool.com
Arne Slot was asked about the midfielder’s unsuccessful loan spell in his press conference previewing Liverpool’s 4-2 defeat at Villa Park . He said: “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 (U21) Euros that he’s such a good player.
“He’s contracted to us, so he will be with us at the start of next season.”
The key clause behind Elliott’s failed loan spell was the £35 million obligation to buy if Elliott played in 10 Premier League games for Aston Villa. After regularly featuring off the bench during his first month at the club, Unai Emery admitted he was “not convinced” about the prospect of spending so much money on the 23-year-old.
This led to Elliott spending much of this season waiting for his horror loan spell to end and hoping an impressive preseason can find him an opportunity to play next season, whether at Anfield or elsewhere. When given an opportunity last season, Elliott performed well, scoring five goals and registering 3 assists in just 867 minutes. The 23-year-old even scored the winner as Liverpool beat eventual Champions League winners PSG 1-0 away from home.
With Mohammed Salah gone and a new signing likely needing time to settle, Liverpool could do worse than Elliott starting the season as an option on the right flank.
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