‘Time is Running Out’ for this Liverpool Star with Transfer Move Looming – Opinion | OneFootball

Fan-Favourite Liverpool Star Facing Uncertain Future Under Arne Slot

Football can be as cruel as it is joyous, and Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott is certainly finding that out at the moment. The 21-year-old was seen as the next big thing under former manager Jurgen Klopp, but has massively struggled to make an impact under new head coach Arne Slot – through no fault of his own.

It’s a strange one, because we can all see the pure quality that Elliott holds and his potential ceiling is incredibly high. However, Slot seemingly either doesn’t trust him or doesn’t see him as a natural fit for his midfield system.

Either way, his recent involvement or lack thereof, raises questions not only on his influence for the remainder of the season but also his future at Liverpool…

Worrying Numbers

The Reds are now 19 games into their Premier League season and Elliott has only managed to clock 43 minutes of top flight football across seven appearances. 27 of those minutes came in two appearances against Fulham and West Ham United.

That low total of 43 minutes equates to just 3% of the total minutes Liverpool have played this season. At this point last season, he had totalled 398 Premier League minutes and had secured crucial goal involvements against Luton Town and Crystal Palace.

From a broader perspective, that difference of 355 minutes has had to be played by one less player since Slot is utilising the exact same squad as last season. Most of those minutes have been laid on Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones, rather than Elliott and Wataru Endo last season. We could even be starting to see the impact of not utilising the full squad already, with the likes of Gravenberch and Jones already starting to look a little bit leggy, as expected.

The 21-year-old’s only goal involvement this season came in the Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Southampton, where Elliott was arguably Liverpool’s standout performer. However, his lack of involvement in recent games against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have raised eyebrows once again, especially with the absence of Dominik Szoboszlai.

It is important to note that Elliott did suffer a broken foot and was injured for a month, but his lack of involvement both before and after the injury speaks volumes. Even that is despite a hugely promising pre-season with Slot, where he shone in games against Arsenal and Manchester United.

Photo: IMAGO

Elliott’s Liverpool Future

Time is running out for Elliott to really have the impact that he is capable of, with just one more leg of a Carabao Cup semi-final and an FA Cup run, where he seems most likely to get his minutes.

Either way, being saved for a third round FA Cup clash with Accrington Stanley is not what the boyhood Liverpool fan would’ve hoped for, nor really deserves.

With increasing pressure on the club to comply with PSR rules and the need for ‘pure profit’, a move away from Anfield could definitely be looming for the youngster. Of course, just last summer we saw Bobby Clark be moved on for similar reasons and Ben Doak is set to join him, with him being linked with a £30m move to Crystal Palace.

If Liverpool were to receive an offer of around £50m for Elliott, it would be really interesting to see what their stance is. Personally, and it’s hard to say this, I think time could be running out for the talented youngster.