Harvey Elliott was in tears as he drove away from Liverpool on deadline day, but the midfielder could now return to Anfield following a disastrous loan at Aston Villa.
Elliott courted interest from a number of clubs throughout the summer transfer window, but with no deal progressing he joined Villa on an initial loan on September 1.
It came after “agonising” over his future, according to the Mail‘s Lewis Steele, who claims the 22-year-old was “in tears” as he left his boyhood club.
The Harvey Elliott situation: A quick look
• The emotional exit: The Mail‘s Lewis Steele claims Harvey Elliott was “in tears” as he drove away from Liverpool on deadline day, having “agonised” over leaving his boyhood club for Aston Villa.
• The frozen clause: Unai Emery appears reluctant to trigger a £35m permanent transfer clause, leaving Elliott frozen out and stuck between a disastrous loan and a difficult return to Merseyside.
• January dilemma: Due to FIFA rules, Elliott can only play for Liverpool or Villa this season. While a return to Arne Slot‘s squad is possible, it would represent a backwards step following the summer arrival of Florian Wirtz.
• European interest: Before joining Villa, Elliott was considered by Brighton, Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, and Dortmund, with Liverpool previously demanding a fee in excess of £50m for the 22-year-old.
But three-and-a-half months later there is a chance Elliott is sent back to Liverpool, having been frozen out by Unai Emery who is clearly reluctant to hit the 10-appearance target that would trigger a £35 million permanent transfer.
Speaking in a live Q&A on Wednesday, Steele explained: “He spent the whole summer agonising over whether to leave or not, because Liverpool are his boyhood club.
“When he was driving to Villa he was in tears about the fact that it didn’t quite work out for him at Liverpool.”
A FIFA rule against playing for more than two clubs in any one season means Elliott cannot return to Liverpool in January before heading out again either on loan or permanently.
It leaves only two options: stay at Villa and try to force his way into Emery’s plans or rejoin Arne Slot‘s squad at Anfield.
Elliott would almost certainly prefer the latter, but that would effectively resemble a backwards step having already resolved to leave the club following the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.
Why Liverpool may not want Harvey Elliott to return
Furthermore, as Steele detailed, there would be financial reasons for Liverpool holding firm on keeping Elliott at Villa.
“The clubs could shake hands in January on terminating the loan agreement, but it doesn’t really benefit anyone,” the journalist continued.
“Maybe he should come back, but it doesn’t really suit Liverpool in terms of financial position for him to come back.
“You think about the other clubs that are interested – for the summer it would have to be – his value has [plummeted].”
Brighton, Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Dortmund were all credited with an interest in the summer, along with a number of clubs in Spain.
Whether Elliott was mis-sold a dream at Villa Park or not is unclear, but he is obviously not in Emery’s plans and those tears on the way out of the AXA Training Centre will linger in the memory as January approaches.