Those who have been following how little playing time Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has used Harvey Elliot is not today’s news a big surprise.
Now, it has to be said that with the success that Aston Villa are having, it is difficult to argue against the manager’s choice. – They are firmly within the top four in 3rd place in the Premier League on their way to securing Champions League qualification.
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Unai Emery has confirmed that Aston Villa will not sign Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott on a permanent deal.
Elliott joined Villa in the summer transfer window, on loan from Premier League rivals Liverpool. The Midlands club has a binding purchase option in his contract, which will expire when he reaches ten games.
Elliott hasn’t played in any of Villa’s last seven Premier League games, which is pretty clear that Emery doesn’t even want him involved in the squad, let alone the starting line-up. It is understood that Villa will have to pay £35 million to make the move from Liverpool permanent, so it is no surprise that they are wary of his playing time if they are not completely convinced of him.
Unai Emery confirms Aston Villa will not sign Elliott
Ahead of Aston Villa’s game against FC Basel, Emery has given a big update on Elliott’s future. The Spanish manager confirms that he has not travelled with the squad to their Europa League clash and that Villa will not sign him on a permanent deal from Liverpool…
“We talk to him and about his situation. He is not here with us. Hopefully we can achieve the best for him and the best for us. I respect him as a player and as a person. He is training well, but we have a special situation with him. Hopefully, we can find a solution for him to try to play regularly and try to continue his career with us or not. I have spoken to him two or three times about the situation we have with him. Firstly, my decision and also the situation. He’s on loan and playing with us, but he’s not definitely going to be added to us with a permanent contract.”
It’s certainly no surprise that Elliott has been left out of Villa’s squad against Basel, given his current situation, but the bluntness of Emery’s words could be a bit of a shock to Villa supporters. It will be interesting to see what happens to Elliott in the January transfer window, or if a loan termination is possible, as he is in serious danger of his career stagnating if Emery and Villa are still not willing to give him the playing time he wants.
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