Jurgen Klopp's Harvey Elliott regret after Arne Slot decision and Liverpool hopes dashed
Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott might have found himself in a more fortuitous position this term if Jurgen Klopp was still calling the shots at Anfield. The winger finds himself in an impossible position at Aston Villa after joining the club on temporary terms in the summer.
It emerged soon after Elliott's loan move was made official that Villa were obliged to buy the player if he made 10 or more appearances for them this season. Given such a low threshold to trigger the mandatory clause, which is estimated to be worth £35million, it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that the player would join on a permanent basis.
But Elliott has instead found himself on the fringes of Unai Emery's plans and barely used in Birmingham. The 22-year-old has made seven appearances this term, meaning he can play just two more games without triggering Villa's obligation to buy.
What seemed like a perfect match for both parties has quickly turned into a nightmare for the player. And Klopp's previous comments regarding his regret over not playing Elliott more suggest he may not have allowed Elliott to leave Anfield in the first place.
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Discussing his impending Anfield exit and potential regrets to reporters in May 2024, he said: "It’s not like I go back and think, 'Where did we go wrong here and there?' But if I regret one thing a little bit it’s that Harvey didn’t play often enough, maybe.
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"In a very important and intense period in January when we had a lot of injuries, he played really good, probably our best player, whether it was right wing or right midfield, all these kind of things.
"[Then] everybody came back and he had a few minutes here and there and didn’t start any more and then came on and made a big impact. It’s really nice that he could show that."
Arne Slot kept Elliott around for his Premier League title-winning debut season on Merseyside. The former Fulham prospect scored five times in 28 outings in all competitions last term but was nonetheless farmed out to a club now above Liverpool in the Premier League pecking order.
The Athletic has reported Elliott was keen to return to his parent club in January, and understandably so. However, Villa would have had to pay an early termination fee in that case given there's no recall clause in place, and Liverpool were believed to be unwilling to waive the figure.
It leaves Elliott in a position of great uncertainty at a time when he should be making key strides in his career. He was named Player of the Tournament as England won last summer's European Under-21 Championship, scoring five goals and picking up two Man of the Match awards.
Klopp was in charge at Anfield when Elliott first made the move from Craven Cottage in 2019. Elliott has since made 149 appearances for Liverpool before he's even turned 23 but now faces a barren four months, likely to spent largely on the sidelines.
Given the terms of his Villa loan agreement, it seemed as though Slot was content allowing a fringe member of the Liverpool squad to leave once the terms of his deal were met. Instead, a somewhat awkward reunion may be in store this summer in a situation that may have been avoided if Klopp had his say.