Unai Emery shares what he’s told Harvey Elliott as warning issued at Bodymoor Heath
Harvey Elliott is in transfer limbo following his loan move from Liverpool to Aston Villa.
Elliott swapped Liverpool for Villa last summer but his time at the West Midlands outfit has been one to forget thus far.
After it became apparent that the 22-year-old was not going to feature regularly at Villa Park, Villa decided against triggering Elliott’s £35million buy obligation.
England Under-21 international Elliott currently has seven Villa appearances to his name, and if he makes it to 10, his move to the Villans will become permanent.
In the winter window, Villa and Liverpool were in talks over tweaking Elliott’s loan, but with neither team budging on their stance, manager Emery has issued a fresh plea.
Unai Emery concerned about Aston Villa loanee Harvey Elliott
In January, there was talk that Elliott could return to Liverpool but the Reds wanted Villa to pay a termination fee, something they were dead set against.
Even though he faces the prospect of barely featuring for the remainder of the season, Elliott reportedly rejected a move to Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC.
After playing for both Liverpool and Villa this season, Elliott is not permitted to feature for a team in Europe this term, hence the MLS links. On Friday, Emery said he had spoken with the former Fulham youngster and stressed that Elliott can help them going forward.
But he urged Liverpool to change the current clause, highlighting how it is a sporting and business decision.
He told reporters at Bodymoore Heath: “It’s not only in my way and on my side. The other side is Liverpool. If they take off the clauses to play matches and for us to buy him, (I said to him) ‘you are going to play here with us, it’s a sport decision’.
“But now it’s a sport decision and a business decision. My sport decision is still there – ‘you are deserving to play, we need your qualities in the field, you are going to play‘. But in case the clauses are still there, now it is Liverpool – they have the key.
“And I told him, it will be fair for him in case Liverpool take off this clause. We are speaking about it (taking off the clause) but not (just) now. We started speaking about it three months ago. Of course, the transfer window finished on Monday.”
Emery added that Elliott is a “fantastic professional” and has shown a great deal of “patience” during this trying situation. And by not giving him more game time, the Spaniard admitted Villa are “damaging him”.
The former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain boss said, “He must play, and he’s really being patient. And I know we are damaging him, because we got a deal with Liverpool in the summer, and the deal is there, and we are respecting the decision and taking the sporting decision responsibly from my side.
“It can change for him, in case Liverpool take off this clause. If they don’t want to, okay, but the player is getting damaged.”
- Read more: ‘This is what people at Aston Villa are telling me about Harvey Elliott, it’s unfortunate’
Why Aston Villa may need Elliott more than ever before
For months now, Villa have been an unlikely participant in the Premier League title race. At one point, they were breathing down the neck of league leaders Arsenal, and keeping pace with second-placed Manchester City.
Ahead of their trip to Bournemouth on Saturday, Villa are now one point behind City and seven adrift of top of the table Arsenal after a damaging 1-0 home loss to Brentford on 1 February.
Villa are still competing on three fronts this season, with Emery’s side going strong in the Europa League, and they are into the fourth round of the FA Cup.
To be in the hunt for silverware until May, you need a squad that can go the distance. But right now, Villa’s group is looking increasingly frail due to a troubling set of injuries.
Villa enforcer Boubacar Kamara is likely to miss the rest of the season with a knee problem and midfield partner Youri Tielemans may not return until late April.
Captain John McGinn is sidelined for at least six weeks, and defender Andres Garcia may only be back in action in March. All this highlights why Villa may need Elliott more than ever.
Fortunately, striker Ollie Watkins’ hamstring problem is not as serious as was first feared when he limped off against Red Bull Salzburg on 29 January, but the aforementioned quartet are key players Villa cannot call on for a while.
Whether that ultimately ends their quest for a trophy this term remains to be seen.