Liverpool should tell Aston Villa to do one and avoid £35m charity as the ‘key’ to new Elliott deal | OneFootball

Unai Emery has desperately pleaded for Liverpool’s charity, but the Premier League holders should tell the head coach and Aston Villa to do one.

Aston Villa are in a difficult position regarding loanee Harvey Elliott, but this is all their doing.

In the summer, Villa signed the Englishman on loan with an option to buy for £35m, with the deal to be made permanent once he made ten appearances for his new club.

At the time, this felt like a great deal for all parties as Villa were landing a very talented footballer with great potential, Elliott was securing a move to a Premier League side for more game time and Liverpool secured a sizable fee for a player not part of head coach Arne Slot’s plans.

But this move has gone poorly for Elliott and Villa, with the loanee spending most of this season on the sidelines and only making seven appearances across all competitions.

Injuries have forced Emery to bring Elliott back into recent matches, though it’s emerged that Villa and Liverpool have been in talks about changing the buyout clause in his loan deal.

It has also been reported that talks have proven unsuccessful as the ‘agreement’ remains unchanged, which led to Emery’s desperate public plea to Liverpool during his press conference on Friday.

“I spoke with him. We have been fair because there are two ways,” Emery said.

“One way is sport, the second is business. We’ll be fair in case, because we are trying it and I told him, I spoke a few times with Harvey.

“Now I am opening the door to play with us, because he can help us, but it’s not only on my side.

“The other side is Liverpool, if they are taking off the clauses they have, to play matches and for us to buy him compulsory.

“[I said to him] ‘you are going to play here with us, it’s a sport decision’. But now it’s a sport decision and a business decision.

“My sport decision is still there – ‘you are deserving to play, we need your qualities in the field, you are going to play’. But in case, the clauses are still there and now it is Liverpool – they have the key.”

Villa are hoping for Liverpool’s charity, but the Reds should tell their Premier League rivals to do one.

As far as they are concerned, Elliott is no longer their player as the terms of his loan mean they accepted last summer that he is as good as gone and just because Aston Villa have changed their mind doesn’t mean they should too.

This will further “damage” Elliott, but, as Emery says himself, this is a “business,” and Liverpool would be foolish to give up £35m so easily, and they should ensure that any new deal still guarantees they get their money.

Emery added: “We are speaking about it [taking off the clause] but not now. We started speaking about it three months ago. Of course, the transfer window was finished on Monday.

“It will be fair for him, because he’s a calm guy, good guy, and he’s a fantastic professional. And then his qualities are there.

“Of course he must play, and he’s really being passionate and I know we are damaging him, because we got a deal with Liverpool in the summer and the deal is there, and we are taking the decision responsibly from my side.

“It can change for him, in case Liverpool take off this clause – if they don’t want to, okay.”