Harvey Elliott tipped to be ‘perfect’ Crystal Palace signing after Liverpool ‘bad blood’
Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott would be well-placed to rebuild his career if he made the move to Crystal Palace this summer.
That is according to former Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the 23-year-old is “very unhappy” with the way that he has been treated by the Anfield hierarchy.
The starlet spent the entirety of last season on loan at Aston Villa, but was unable to surpass the 10-appearance mark since his loan club didn’t want to buy him.
Liverpool were reluctant to find a way to break that agreement with the Villans, and Wyness believes that it has left permanent “bad blood” between Elliott’s camp and the club.
The Reds are keen to offload the former Fulham academy graduate ahead of next season, and Crystal Palace are the latest side to show an interest in him.
The Eagles are looking to strengthen their squad ahead of their Europa League campaign next term, and have identified Elliott as a player who could come in and make a big impact.
Keith Wyness: Harvey Elliott to drive regret for Liverpool and Aston Villa
Villa’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Villa Park between 2016 and 2018 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs – believes that Elliott will soon make both Villa and Liverpool realise what they have missed out on.
He backed Crystal Palace to get a move for the youngster over the line this summer, and noted that he would be a “perfect fit” for them as a club.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, he emphasised that Elliott could take on a similar role at Selhurst Park to Conor Gallagher in his 2021-22 loan spell.
“There's bad blood between Elliott and Liverpool now, as there should be. He and his advisors are very unhappy with the way that Liverpool have treated him and with the whole Villa situation,” Wyness said.
“I think he is a perfect Palace fit. He reminds me of a few of their midfielders. He's got that terrier-type ability. I remember Conor Gallagher having a great loan period at Palace and I see the same sort of role coming there.
“It's a perfect place for him to go and European exposure again will bring him back and it will make Liverpool and Villa both realise what they’ve missed.
“I rate him and I think he would do well at Palace. He fits perfectly into their mould, so yes I think it's a positive for him at last and he deserves some good luck.”
PFA should have intervened with Elliott loan spell
Wyness told Football Insider back in May that the PFA should have intervened to help find a solution for Elliott during his loan stint at Villa Park.
The youngster was effectively cast to the fringes of the squad by Unai Emery, as the club were desperate to avoid triggering their automatic purchase option.
Wyness made it clear that the loan deal provided Elliott with more problems than solutions, and could potentially deal lasting damage to his development and his career.
Palace will be hoping that is not the case, as they contemplate a move to try and restore him to his previous level.