Harvey Elliott’s ill-fated loan to Aston Villa has so far ended in him making just five appearances, leaving him out of the squad and his World Cup dreams effectively extinguished. But what does the future hold for the Liverpool midfielder? A deadline day move to Villa seemed like the ideal scenario for Elliott. The Birmingham-based side are an emerging force in the Premier League and have the ability to compete in Europe, and appeared to offer the English midfielder what he craved: consistent playing time and the promise of a permanent £35m move to a top-six club on the horizon.
After an encouraging start at Liverpool after joining from Fulham aged just 16, the lifelong Reds supporter became a regular off the bench under Jurgen Klopp. Frequently called upon to provide the decisive pass when Liverpool needed a goal, Elliott was a consistent passer, but never hid his ambition to get more minutes into games. The appointment of manager Arn Slott, who favors possession and technical play, appeared to give Elliott the opportunity to flourish in his preferred number 10 role. However, with Slott appointing Dominik Szoboszlai in that position and Mohamed Salah’s excellent form throughout the title-winning season, Elliott had little chance on the right wing.
Elliott could only accumulate a total of 822 minutes in all competitions during the 2024-25 season. But his 2025-26 season is shaping up to be even more disappointing from a personal perspective. When Elliott joined Villa on an initial loan deal with a buy-out obligation after 10 appearances (generally seen as a mere formality), Liverpool officials inserted a sell-and-buy clause into the contract, reflecting their confidence in a player who had long been regarded as one of England’s most promising players.
However, Elliott has struggled to win manager Unai Emery’s trust, making just five appearances in all competitions since mid-October. Only a few of them were beginnings.
His first goal came in a 1-1 stalemate against Brentford in the third round of the EFL Cup, with the Villans losing on penalties, but Elliott managed to find the back of the net. In the second game, they won 3-1 at home to Fulham, but Elliott was withdrawn at half-time in a rather unscrupulous manner, and manager Emery expressed concerns about the player’s subsequent adjustment.
“He has to adapt in everything, but I didn’t change him because he played poorly. He was playing well, but I changed him because of the energy that Emi Buendia gives us at that moment and his skills. He has to keep working, keep preparing and adapting to us, understand everything and use our qualities in his structure,” Emery said.
When Villa brought in Elliott, there was no doubt about his ability. However, Villa have enjoyed an impressive run of form this season with Buendia selected ahead of him.
The Midlands side secured 11 consecutive wins before losing to Liverpool and Arsenal, leaving them in a position to contend for a title challenge should Arsenal falter before the end of the season.
But his omission even from the substitute bench points to a deeper problem, which Emery alluded to in his latest comments about Elliott in his press conference before Villa’s recent win over Nottingham Forest.
Emery said: “The problem we have with Harvey is he’s been out on loan this year and we have to buy him in case he plays a game. We decided two months ago that we didn’t feel comfortable signing him and we spent the money we needed to sign him.”
“That’s the only problem. He always comes to training every day with a very good attitude and helps us in the training sessions. It’s not good for him or for us, but this is football and sometimes you have to make decisions that are not good for everyone.”
Villa have been particularly tailwinded in recent seasons when it comes to Profitability and Sustainability Regulations (PSR) and parted ways with their most talented academy product in Jacob Ramsey over the summer. With this in mind, it may be wiser for Villa to keep Elliott until the end of the season.
It is likely that they have already paid the loan fees, with widespread reporting suggesting there is no recall clause in the contract. There could be an additional fee if Elliott were to be brought back to Liverpool. However, given Villa’s current success, Elliott’s plight may not be too worrying.
The player himself appears to have been left out of manager Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup plans, and Slott does not appear to be satisfied with the player, so it seems unlikely that he will feature heavily at Anfield upon his return. Elliott played for Liverpool before his loan move and cannot be loaned to another club this season unless the other club’s schedule coincides with the European calendar.
This has sparked interest from MLS side Charlotte FC, which is managed by former Villa manager Dean Smith, but Elliott is expected to decline the offer from the American side. Not only would a move to MLS be a significant downgrade for the Premier League champions, but Charlotte FC will not be able to play until February 21st, meaning Elliott will now reach four months without a game.
The Athletic report that there has been no contact from Villa regarding renegotiating his loan terms, suggesting that the most likely scenario is for him to remain in training until the end of the season. It looks like it will take some lobbying from Liverpool’s side to bring about any change in Elliott’s situation.
On the surface, a team in the slot could benefit from a talented player like Elliott, providing another option for an attack hampered by injuries and Salah’s participation in AFCON.
If Elliott is available, it could also ease the burden on Florian Wirtz, who has been suffering from a hamstring problem. However, as Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoja have admitted, the Liverpool manager is reluctant to use players he does not believe he fully trusts.
But certainly, a player with Elliott’s ambition and work-rate and undeniable technical skill would only strengthen Liverpool. Elliott, a lifelong Liverpool supporter who has achieved something most fans can only dream of, was visibly emotional at last year’s trophy ceremony, highlighting the tough decision he made last summer.
Elliott will be looking to develop further, but a sentimental return to help Liverpool would be the ideal outcome for everyone involved, even if securing a starting place remains difficult.
