“We’ll need him” – Andoni Iraola’s comments on one Liverpool player are in total contrast to Slot | OneFootball

One player at Liverpool might already be jubilant at the arrival of Andoni Iraola as head coach at Anfield.

To put it mildly, the 2025/26 season was a write-off for Harvey Elliott, who joined Aston Villa on an initial loan basis with a view to a permanent move but played just nine times in total for Unai Emery’s side, who opted against signing him outright.

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The 23-year-old has since returned to his parent club, who are now under the management of a head coach who seems much more prepared to give him a fair chance than Arne Slot ever was.

Iraola: Liverpool will ‘need’ Elliott in 2026/27

In his introductory press conference as Liverpool boss on Monday morning, Iraola was asked wheter he can envisage Elliott being part of his plans at Anfield, following his wasted few months at Villa Park.

The Basque replied (via Liverpool Echo): “Definitely! Harvey is here with us. I have seen him with the eagerness to show up and get super ready, He’ll have a chance in pre-season. We’ll need him and it’s a good sign. I hope we can see him in a good place.

“I think Harvey comes from last season being difficult for him. [It was a] strange situation. They couldn’t even play him and I think he uses this experience – the bad situation – to make himself even more eager to be a Liverpool player.”

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Iraola’s comments on Elliott are quite the contrast to Slot

Iraola’s clear willingness to incorporate Elliott into his squad is in marked contrast to how Slot deflected questions about the player throughout the 2025/26 season, frequently telling reporters to ‘ask Aston Villa’ instead in a shameful passing of the buck.

The Dutchman mightn’t have been responsible for Emery’s sidelining of the 23-year-old, but the lack of public backing for someone who remained on Liverpool’s books was hard to fathom and didn’t help his image at a time when he was already coming under increased pressure amid the Reds’ dire results.

At least the new head coach seems eager to give the ex-Fulham attacker a fair shot in his line-up, and with several big-name LFC players on a break after the World Cup, the pre-season tour to the USA will provide a perfect audition window to stake a claim for a fixed starting berth at Anfield.

Paul Gorst wrote in June that Elliott could be ‘one of the great potential redemption stories of this summer’ if Iraola gives him his opportunity and the player duly makes the most of it. Let’s not forget that the onus is on him to prove his point to his new boss.

The 23-year-old didn’t deserve to be cast aside by Slot and Emery last season, and we suspect that he’ll be especially motivated to play a leading role for Liverpool in 2026/27 and make those two coaches regret consigning him to the shadows.