Harvey Elliott described Mo Salah as “more than a brother” and the Egyptian was sad to see him leave Liverpool, but the midfield star also appears to be cemented after joining Aston Villa.
After Harvey Elliott completed his loan move from Liverpool to Aston Villa, Mo Salah took to social media to express his views on players and transfers.
Salah and Elliott developed a close relationship at Anfield, with the Egyptian player posting: “You will be remembered for your loyalty and dedication every time you are called up. You leave as champions and I believe you will go on to great things with your new club. They are lucky to have you.”
Unfortunately, Unai Emery doesn’t seem to consider himself lucky to have Elliott. He has been given 96 minutes of Premier League football since the Liverpool player was brought to Villa Park in a deal that baffled match authorities.
read more: After Arne Slott and Mo Salah altercation, Liverpool dressing room reaches agreement and rescinds new decisionread more: Mo Salah and Arne Slott on the verge of Liverpool negotiations as five clubs prepare to make transfer bids
Elliott’s friend and mentor, who has described Salah as “more than a brother to me”, has now been widely and highly criticized for speaking out against what he sees as unfair treatment by the club. Although Elliott himself has remained silent, he appears to have a stronger case than Salah when it comes to unfair treatment.
In any case, neither of them have been playing much soccer lately. In fact, Elliott being left at home while Aston Villa were in Basel for the Europa League, meaning the 22-year-old midfielder played four minutes of competitive football in 10 weeks.
The idea that players should always put the club first and the individual second came back into vogue during Mo-gate. But Elliott’s scenario shows that clubs can be quite cruel to their players.
It’s no exaggeration to say that no one will be able to successfully get out of Elliott’s current situation. In summary, the situation is as follows.
Just before the summer window closed, Villa signed Elliott on loan with a buyout obligation of £35m. However, that obligation only kicks in after Elliott plays in 10 games.
Elliott was named player of the match when England Under-21s won Euro 2025 and went on to make 149 appearances for Liverpool, and Emery is apparently a big fan. The 10-inning clause seemed like a formality.
Even if I rate Elliott, Emery is the only player I no longer rate. Elliott has no future at Villa. He’s played five times and that’s it.
Again, few parties have successfully recovered from this predicament, but it once again highlights the fundamental flaws in the system that allows players to be loaned between Premier League clubs. Had it not been possible to arrange a loan between Premier League clubs, Villa would have had to buy or not buy Elliott. Show trust in God and your own judgment.
Instead, they left him in limbo. Because he played one minute for Liverpool at the beginning of the season and will not be able to play for a third club this season. It’s a FIFA rule that the Premier League follows.
Apparently, there is no recall clause at Liverpool, but it would have been thought that the club could terminate the contract and Elliott could return to Anfield. The only problem was they didn’t want him.
The bottom line is that it’s a mess. Who is responsible? agent? Managers? A football coach? Horrible transfer system? Or a combination of all of them?
One thing is certain. It’s almost certainly not Elliott.
And while this may not apply to Salah himself, sometimes it’s worth remembering that players can actually be “thrown under the bus.” As Salah’s great friends now know.
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