Harvey Elliott faces shock MLS loan move in January
Harvey Elliott has endured a nightmare few months since signing for Aston Villa on loan from Liverpool on transfer deadline day.
Aston Villa signed Elliott from Liverpool on a season-long loan, with the deal including an obligation to buy the midfielder next summer.
But the move has quickly turned ugly for the England youth international, who has failed to make an appearance in any of the Villans’ last eight games across all competitions.
Unai Emery said the performances of other players are behind Elliott’s absence following Villa‘s 2-1 win over Leeds United last week, a game that the 22-year-old failed to even make the bench for.
Elliott may have already played his last game for Villa, with discussions taking place over the midfielder’s immediate future.
Harvey Elliott could be in line for MLS switch
Elliott’s biggest concern is wasting another season, but that situation currently looks like an inevitability for the midfielder.
The 22-year-old was used sporadically by Arne Slot last season, making just 28 appearances across all competitions under the Dutchman.
But a strong performance at the Under-21 European Championship, where Elliott was crowned player of the tournament following England’s win, gave the former Fulham man confidence to pursue game-time elsewhere.
| Harvey Elliott | U21 Euro 2025 |
| Appearances | 6 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Chances created | 10 |
| Successful dribbles | 4 |
| Duels won | 13 |
| Recoveries | 24 |
Villa’s deadline day move looked to be the perfect option, but it has now become plainly obvious that Emery was never in favour of the transfer.
The obligation in the loan deal, agreed by both clubs, reportedly states that Elliott’s £35million permanent move to Villa will be triggered after the player makes 10 appearances, with some suggesting that Emery is keen to avoid reaching that number.
Should the midfielder be recalled to Liverpool, however, a further loan to another club in the Premier League, or indeed Europe, would be barred by FIFA rules.
Instead, as reported by BBC Sport on Wednesday, Elliott would need to move to a league such as the MLS, where the season starts in February.
What Unai Emery has said about Harvey Elliott
Interestingly, Emery has never criticised Elliott, instead constantly seeming to applaud his application in training.
Again, speaking ahead of Villa’s Europa League clash against Young Boys on Thursday, the Spaniard was keen to offer his backing to the midfielder.
“We have a lot of matches,” Emery said. “We must focus on this and not think about January. Harvey is one of our players, hopefully he can help us.
“We have a lot of players performing well, but Harvey is training well.”
Words are all well and good but Elliott will not be satisfied until action is taken, and his name is included in the starting line-up once more.