Harvey Elliott was left out of Aston Villa’s squad for their fixture with Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, with no official reason yet given but conspiracy theories circulating that he could be sent back to Liverpool.
Elliott left Liverpool towards the end of the transfer window to join Villa on loan with an obligation to buy. That obligation is dependent on him making a certain number of appearances this season, believed to be 10.
And although he’s halfway towards that milestone now, he has been used sparingly by Unai Emery. Elliott’s only Premier League start for Villa so far culminated in him being taken off at half-time.
This week, reports have suggested Elliott regrets his choice of move in the summer and that the deal between Liverpool and Villa could be cancelled.
Thus, it was interesting to see when the team news was announced for Villa’s clash with City that Elliott wasn’t even on the bench.
It could be due to an injury, or it could be a conscious decision by Emery. But until any explanation arrives, fans have been wondering if the writing is on the wall and Elliott will be sent back to Liverpool.
On X, one account posted: “Harvey Elliott not even on the bench! Not a chance he’s meeting the appearance requirement to sign permanently. Genuinely feel horrible for the lad.”
Another added: “Think he’ll go back in January, unless we have a season long loan that we can’t get out of… he just won’t play the 10 games?? Time will tell I suppose”
Over on Reddit, one user suggested: “I half suspect that he’s ringing home begging to get out of here at this point.”
Another replied: “I suspect he’ll get his wish. It’s seeming like we don’t want to trigger the obligation to buy at this point more than trying to work him into the system.”
And another concurred: “Wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he’s sent back in January.”
On the flipside to the suggestions Villa want to cancel the Elliott deal, some have wondered why Emery would have given him appearances lasting four minutes (Feyenoord) and 19 minutes (Everton) if unsure about activating a permanent deal.
It’s believed Villa are committed to paying £35m for Elliott once the obligation to buy kicks in, which isn’t an insignificant amount of money.
GO FURTHER – Five loans that MUST be cancelled ASAP
What Emery said about Elliott
Villa head coach Emery shed some light on Elliott’s situation at a press conference this week.
Emery said: “I am being very, very demanding myself to choose in each match the player to start and the players on the bench and the subs players, and firstly is always trying to get the best performance collectively, through individual players.
“Harvey is a 10 number in our structure, in our shape, and he plays some matches and there is still adaptation to add himself individually in our structure, the task we have.
“Of course, he is training well, and his commitment is being very well as well, but his performance was not enough (up to this point).
“At the same time, we have other players who can play as a 10 and they are performing well, and I have different players.
“This is the main reason he is not playing the last matches minutes, but he has to continue working like he is doing in the training session and of course getting his confidence in the performance we need through him.
“His quality, in my opinion, is to play No. 10.
“He can maybe play wide right, like John McGinn, but he will need more time.
“At the beginning I signed him thinking him to play No. 10 and getting the performance and getting him to play consistently for us. There are other players who can play there.”
Latest Aston Villa transfer news
In a further blow to Elliott’s long-term prospects, Villa are reportedly close to agreeing a contract extension with one of their other players who can operate as a No. 10.
They have also reportedly taken the lead in the race for a highly-rated LaLiga winger and have been backed to make an ambitious offer for a Real Madrid forward.
