Andonio Iraola is pictured smiling and calmly on the training ground at Liverpool. For those of us who have struggled to be engaged by the coach type Arne Slot, it is a relief to have a charismatic coach back at Anfield. The Liverpool players have seen what Iraola achieved with Bournemouth, the belief that something big is going on again has become established. For Harvey Elliot, a golden opportunity.
Many Liverpool supporters hung with their yawns, when Harvey Elliot “chose” to leave the club. Arne Slot showed limited confidence in the player who made his debut at Klopp back in 2019, last summer Elliot decided to move to Aston Villa on loan. This became a sporty, tragic story. Now Slot is history, and the energetic midfielder with a heart for Liverpool gets a second chance.
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Harvey Elliott felt he was not given enough opportunity by Arne Slot, last summer it ended with a loan to Aston Villa, where a mandatory purchase clause is made active once the 23-year-old had played 10 games. There were never ten games. Villa manager Unai Emery made sure of that. In January, it was a desperate Elliot who wanted to return to Liverpool for the rest of the season, that door was not opened. Now Liverpool’s former jewel returns to Anfield, but for what?, we wrote when Slot was still in the job at the end of the season.
This may have changed. Elliot only has one year left on his contract with Liverpool, but the hiring of Andoni Iraola has given him something he didn’t have under Arne Slot: a clean slate.
Liverpool are making changes to their squad, and pre-season could now decide whether Elliot will be part of this rebuild, or be sold while the club can still claim a reasonable sum.
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The coming weeks look crucial for both sides. According to Football Insider’s sources , Liverpool will give Harvey Elliott the chance to impress Iraola before making a final decision on his future.
The new head coach is prepared to include him next season if he performs well in training and in friendlies, rather than immediately pushing him towards exit. Elliott returned early from Villa and began preparatory work with the U21 squad, which shows that he understands the importance of the opportunity.
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Iraola has also praised his eagerness, confirming that he will get a real chance during the pre-season.
Harvey Elliot will surely give everything to give the new Liverpool manager the arguments that he must be part of Liverpool, who with Elliot on the pitch won the title in 18 Premier League games in the 2024/25 season.
