What Harvey Elliott actually wanted to happen in January amid Aston Villa mess
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Harvey Elliott has endured a nightmare 2025/26 season away from Liverpool, hardly featuring for Aston Villa.The Englishman left Anfield for Villa Park last summer, joining on loan with an obligation to buy after a certain number of appearances.However, it quickly became apparent that Aston Villa did not want to trigger the clause and stopped playing Elliott, which left the long-time Liverpool talent desperate to return to Merseyside in January. Give us your predictions for Liverpool’s crucial trip to Villa Park this Friday Will the Reds finally secure Champions League qualification?
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Paul Ellis/AFP Harvey Elliott wanted to return to LiverpoolA report from The Athletic this week has now shed some light on the situation.They stated: “The setback hurt Elliott and sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, say he hoped for an early return to Anfield in the winter transfer window, as he was unable to join another European club after representing both Liverpool, in two late-game substitute appearances, and Villa this season. “That would have required the agreement to be terminated, but with no recall clause in place, Villa would have had to pay a fee to do so, something they were unwilling to consider.”It means Elliott has been limited to just five Premier League appearances and four Europa League outings this term, a decision both Arne Slot and Unai Emery have now commented on.Arne Slot and Unai Emery reaction to Harvey Elliott’s Aston Villa loan spellSlot spoke about Elliott in his pre-Aston Villa press conference this week and said: “I think for him, for everyone it didn’t work out how he wanted it, how we wanted it and probably how Villa wanted it, because usually you sign a player to use him, and that hasn’t happened a lot,” Slot said.“That’s not for me to answer why that is, but of course it’s never nice for a player not to make so many minutes, especially after the season he had for us.
He went over there to get more playing time, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.”The Dutchman also confirmed that the versatile player will return to Liverpool and be part of their 2026 pre-season preparations.Meanwhile, as Aston Villa and Liverpool prepare to face off, Emery expressed his sympathy for how Elliott’s loan stint has gone.In his own presser, the Spaniard stated: “To now explain about the reason for this decision is very difficult, or it is easy, but it is not the moment. “How the season has gone has been difficult.”It remains to be seen what the future holds for the 23-year-old, who did make 28 appearances under Slot in 2024/25 but notched just 821 minutes of action in those ties.He is under contract at Anfield until 2027, so if Liverpool do want to cash in, a sale this summer probably makes the most sense.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox