Harvey Elliott finds himself in a dilemma he can’t control himself.
The talented young midfielder ended up as a supporting player for Liverpool, and it was understandable that he would look for a change elsewhere in the summer transfer window. – Elliott was the star of the tournament at the European Under-21 Championship, scoring five goals as England lifted the trophy.
It seemed like the football world was his oyster, but he didn’t really want to leave Liverpool.
“If it had been up to me, I would have been here for the rest of my career, it’s as simple as that. I love everything about the club,” he said in the summer. “But at the same time, I have to be a little selfish and look at what’s best for me. I have big ambitions. I want to play in the World Cup. I want to continue to be a successful player.”
So when Aston Villa came on the scene, he reluctantly made the move on loan for the season.
This loan spell included a season-ending purchase commitment of around £30 million, on the condition that he made ten appearances. However, there is no guarantee of that, as the midfielder currently has five appearances and has not even been in the matchday squad for any of the last three Premier League games.
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Good decision? – Harvey Elliott
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery wanted to sign Lucas Paqueta or Marco Asensio permanently this summer, but didn’t get either of them, and ended up with Elliott.
As a hugely talented player, a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad for 2026 looks a long way off at the moment. The former Liverpool player sees his U21 teammate Alex Scott moving ahead of him in the hierarchy, after some impressive performances for Bournemouth.
Elliott was already in stiff competition for a coveted place in the squad, and his time at Villa has only made things even more difficult.
There is no way out this season. The 22-year-old played for Liverpool, where he got the last six minutes of injury time in the 3-2 win over Newcastle, before securing the transfer to Villa.
The Premier League’s rules state that no player can play for more than three clubs in the league in one season. So if he wants to play somewhere else, it has to be abroad, and that will require Liverpool and Villa to come to some sort of agreement to break the loan and purchase obligation.
There were other options for Elliott this summer, but perhaps nothing concrete enough to make him change his mind. Hindsight is a fantastic thing, and Tottenham could have been a better move for the midfielder.
Spurs transfer
Spurs were linked with a number of attacking players this summer, with well-known attempts to sign Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze falling through, before Thomas Frank finally got a signing in attacking midfield in the form of Xavi Simons.
Simons’ signing was seen as a coup of sorts for Spurs, with Chelsea heavily linked with a move for the RB Leipzig star, and there are high expectations that he will be a fine signing. However, he has yet to prove himself, as the short star needs time to adapt to the pressure and physicality of the Premier League.
With long-term injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, creative signings were necessary, but aside from Mohammed Kudus’ deal as a winger, Simons was the only central attacking signing Tottenham made.
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And that, in retrospect – and at the time – seems to have been a mistake, given Simon’s early problems.
Elliott, with strong experience already in the Premier League, would have been a ready-made replacement and was briefly mentioned in connection with a move to N17 as one of the options to fill the void in the 10 position. His ability to fit in as a 10, or even as an 8, would have been a real asset to Frank and Spurs. He would almost certainly have been given more game time in north London than he has in Birmingham, and he would have increased Tottenham’s list of homegrown players, if not their club-trained quota for the Champions League.
In 2024, the recently departed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp opened up about “regretting” that he didn’t use Elliott more often. He said, “If I regret anything, maybe it’s that Harvey didn’t play often enough. Because in a very important, intense period – in January, with a lot of injuries – he played very well.
He was probably our best player – right winger, right midfield, everything. Then everyone came back, and he got minutes here and there, and he didn’t start anymore.”
That versatility would certainly have come in handy for Frank at Spurs, and he would have been the type of signing – along with Simons – that the fans could have embraced. Signing Elliott and only Elliott could have made someone reach breaking point.
Spurs have already shown – this season and last – that they don’t have the depth to deal with injuries in the same way that Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have. A player of Elliott’s calibre would certainly have come in handy, and his performances for the U21 national team this summer suggest that he deserves better.
Tottenham certainly need better. Frank’s side are second bottom in the Premier League this season in terms of chances created, with just 16.82 per 90 minutes. Only Burnley produce fewer. The Lilywhites also have fewer shots per game than all other teams in the top flight except two – Wolves and Burnley – at 9.73 per game according to fbref.com. Elliott would certainly have helped with that, given his position on the team and ability to break lines.
Elliott will now have to wait until the summer to reboot his career, or hope that he can impress Emery in the second half of the season and kickstart his Villa career.
