Harvey Elliott’s Aston Villa future clarified as fresh loan agreement details emerge

Harvey Elliott’s unsatisfactory loan from Liverpool to Aston Villa has taken another turn as new details within the deal have been reported.

Elliott joined Villa on loan on transfer deadline day. It was widely reported that the club has an obligation to buy him next summer under the terms of the agreement, with the relevant clause understood to be triggered by 10 appearances for his new team.

The 22-year-old has struggled for time in the Premier League and Europa League. He was left out of the matchday squad entirely for Villa’s league wins against Manchester City and AFC Bournemouth at Villa Park either side of a trip to Liverpool for which he was ineligible.

Unai Emery‘s reluctance to play the former England Under-21 captain has sparked an avalanche of rumours about Villa’s intentions, Elliott’s mood and Liverpool’s plans, with the player’s latest omission accelerating speculation about a potential break clause or recall to take him back to Anfield as early as January.

Will Harvey Elliott go back to Liverpool?

Despite the talk, a new report from Gregg Evans and The Athletic has revealed that an early termination of his loan is still an improbable outcome at this stage.

“What happens next is largely dependent on Villa manager Unai Emery, and whether he finds a way to reintegrate Elliott,” reads the report.

“An early exit currently looks unlikely, with no January recall clause in what is a season-long loan, while neither club have indicated at this stage that they want the deal cancelled.

“Adding to the complexity is a clause that states Villa must make Elliott’s transfer permanent should he make 10 appearances for them this season.”

With Villa on the hook for a transfer fee of £30 million to £35 million if that threshold is reached, the growing assertion has been that the clause is connected to Elliott’s lack of minutes. He has started twice for Villa and made five appearances in total.

Why isn’t Harvey Elliott playing for Villa?

While there’s puzzlement about why Emery would sign off a loan with such a large and easily reached obligation to buy if there was no spot ready for Elliott, the Villa manager has spoken positively about the player, albeit candid about the reasons for leaving him out.

“The No. 10 in the Spaniard’s system is a key player who must be tactically erudite, recognising pressing triggers set by the striker, but also calm and composed in possession,” writes Evans.

Whether or not we think omitting Elliott from the squad altogether is the right decision, Emery’s job is to maximise the resources at his disposal, to win matches, and to qualify for European football for a fourth consecutive season.

It’s clearly not ideal from Elliott’s point of view but we should be mindful of the fact that we don’t really know Elliott’s point of view at all, nor what discussions were had between the player and his manager ahead of the deal being done on transfer deadline day.

Elliott is a player capable of having a major impact at Villa. We can only hope he gets the chance to do so, regardless of the reasons behind the loan currently looking concerning.

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