Harvey Elliott could be the bargain buy of the summer
Harvey Elliott is at a crossroads in his career.
By Sam McGuire
The 22-year-old was a firm favourite of former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp. After returning from a loan spell with Blackburn Rovers during the 2020/21 campaign, Elliott was part of the starting XI as the 2021/22 season kicked off. Deployed as the right-sided No. 8, he struck up quite the relationship with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold before suffering an ankle dislocation against Leeds United.
He returned in February and Klopp managed his minutes, starting him just once for the remainder of the season in the Premier League. The following season, the former Fulham man made 18 starts in the English top-flight, racking up near 1,700 minutes. He was very much part of the first-team picture. During the 2023/24 season, the versatile attacker appeared in 34 Premier League matches, chipping in with three goals and six assists.
The arrival of Arne Slot was supposed to help Elliott kick on. The Dutchman favoured a more possession-based style and that, in theory, should’ve favoured Liverpool’s No. 19. A broken foot disrupted his season but even after returning to the fold in November, Elliott struggled for minutes. He was barely used as the Reds won the Premier League title, making just two starts and finishing the campaign with just 360 minutes to his name in the English top-flight.
Elliott isn’t physical enough to replicate what Dominik Szoboszlai does for Liverpool and he’s not quick enough to offer adequate cover for Mohamed Salah as the right-sided attacker (who is?). The 22-year-old has fallen further down the pecking order this summer with the arrivals of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong coupled with the emergence of Rio Ngumoha.
Elliott is now homeless in this team.
That is why, despite his many talents, he’s currently in limbo.
In the right environment, he’s brilliant. He showcased that at the Under-21 European Championships this summer. He claimed the Player of the Tournament having had a key role in England retaining their crown. The highly-sought after attacker scored five goals and really dominated a star-studded competition.
His performances only increased the interest in him.
Brighton want him. Fulham are seemingly keen on a reunion. Spurs are now being linked with him having missed out on Morgan Gibbs-White. There’s interest from foreign teams too, with RB Leipzig seemingly earmarking him as a replacement for Xavi Simons.
Liverpool should be doing everything they can to retain Elliott. But there’s an openness to let him leave. It feels like a case of right player, wrong time. And he’s well aware of this.
“Look, if I had it my way, I’d be here for the rest of my career, it’s as simple as that, I love everything about the club,” Elliott told The Anfield Wrap in Hong Kong.
“But at the same time I kind of need to be selfish with myself and see what’s best for me. I have big ambitions. I want to go to the World Cup. I want to keep being successful as a player. ‘I think it’s still something I need to review. I need to have a talk with everyone, really and review the situation because we’ve had many new players come in, so whether it blocks the path for me I’m not sure, it’s something I need to decide and have a look at.
“My main focus is here now. At the moment I’m here for the season, as far as I’m aware, unless if anything changes, we have a busy pre-season, it’s non-stop, I need to make sure I’m focus on that and just be ready for everything.”
Elliott scored five goals in England’s triumph at the U21 Euros
Elliott has aspirations of playing at the 2026 World Cup for England. That would be the next step having dominated at U21 level. However, he’s not going to break into Thomas Tuchel’s thinking as a bit-part player at Liverpool.
It appears to be the perfect storm for a sale. In previous years, Elliott may have been priced out of a move. He’s young, homegrown and versatile. Noni Madueke went for £52million this summer, yet Liverpool, reportedly, only want £40million for their No. 19.
Why? Well, they likely want to raise funds to bankroll a British record bid for Alexander Isak. Elliott may be a utility player for the Reds, the sort that provides a lot of value for a team, but it is apparent that Slot, for whatever reason, just doesn’t truly rate him. So why keep him around when you can bank big money for a squad player?
If he moves for that sort of money, he has the potential to be one of the bargains of the summer. It isn’t often you see a player of his talent and profile – homegrown, left-footed, experienced and a winner, on the market. In a grossly inflated market, if Elliott moves for sub-£50million, the buying club are getting an unbelievable deal.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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