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And the decision now facing Harvey Elliott is perhaps the greatest example of how knowing when to leave Liverpool and to where isn't particularly straightforward.

READ MORE:Florian Wirtz deal 'never been on before' as strong Liverpool transfer message sentREAD MORE:Liverpool defender makes 'homesick' admission as new target emerges

Speaking over the weekend, Elliott reiterated previous comments that he is compelled to consider his future this summer after a season of frustration under new Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during which an early injury and the form of others restricted him to just two Premier League starts after the championship had already been won.

"I'm coming into an age now where I'm 22, I'm going to be 23 next season," he said.



He is approaching 100 Premier League appearances and 150 outings in all competitions for Liverpool, half of which have been as a starter.

Having proven his versatility until Jurgen Klopp, the England under-21 international is now regarded primarily as a number 10.

However, having impressed in the role in pre-season, he was behind Dominik Szoboszlai at the start of the campaign, then suffered a foot injury that ruled him out for two months, during which Curtis Jones imposed himself as an option in the position.

Elliott became third in the pecking order, restricted to domestic cup and the occasional Champions League outing.

Europe proved to his liking when scoring in successive games against Lille, PSV Eindhoven and, in the highlight of his season, the late winner at Paris Saint-Germain.

With Liverpool prepared to smash their transfer record by bringing in attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, Elliott is set to find another obstacle in his way, although it's likely Slot will greater rotate his squad next season.

Opportunities will be there for Elliott, but it may not offer the regular minutes he needs and perhaps feels he merits at this stage of his career.

The difficulty, though, could be in determining a new club that operates with a number 10 role that brings the best out of Elliott.

Leverkusen have not entertained the possibility of taking Elliott as part of the deal to bring Wirtz to Anfield, while whispers of interest from Brighton and Borussia Dortmund during the January transfer window have became barely audible in the subsequent months.

Most of the leading Premier League clubs who utilise a central attacking midfielder are already well stocked in the area, while it could be too much of a step down to entertain moving to one of the promoted clubs in Leeds United, Burnley or Sunderland.

Reports suggest Elliott has already turned down an approach from Nottingham Forest while West Ham United could appeal but are hardly the most stable of squads at present.

A move abroad would realistically have to be to a regular Champions League qualifier.

Indeed, Elliott doesn't have to look too far to find a player whose career has stalled somewhat after leaving Anfield.

Fabio Carvalho followed his former team-mate's path by moving from Fulham to Liverpool in 2022.

But after struggling to make a regular breakthrough and two loan spells, he moved to Brentford last summer - after which injury and form have meant he has made just three Premier League starts.

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With there not any real appetite from Liverpool to sanction a loan, Elliott would likely command a fee in the region of £30million-plus, further shrinking the pool of potential suitors.

It may well be that the player would be best served staying put for another campaign and backing himself to gain greater first-team exposure.
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