£35m Liverpool deal could collapse – Journalist | OneFootball

Elliott loan at Aston Villa raises performance question but Liverpool keep door ajar

Deal structure signals Liverpool’s long-term view

Harvey Elliott’s summer move to Aston Villa was framed as a development play rather than a clean break. Villa secured the 22-year-old on loan with an obligation to buy valued at £35 million, with additional sell-on and buy-back mechanisms designed to protect Liverpool’s long-term interests. In plain terms: if Elliott flourishes, Liverpool retain a pathway to bring him back; if he doesn’t, they still bank a fee that reflects his potential.

Competition for the midfielder was real enough. RB Leipzig made a push, while West Ham and Fulham were sounded out earlier in the window. Elliott chose Villa Park in pursuit of regular minutes under Unai Emery, with the promise of a clearly defined role. From Liverpool’s perspective, the move fits a familiar pattern: secure value today, preserve optionality tomorrow. Elliott’s 149 appearances and haul of domestic medals since 2019 underline why Liverpool insisted on a buy-back—there is belief in his ceiling, even if the immediate route to Anfield minutes narrowed.

Photo: IMAGO

Emery’s selection logic and Elliott’s adaptation curve

The headline has inevitably been Elliott’s limited involvement of late, prompting scrutiny over Emery’s stance. The manager’s explanation is detailed and consistent with his reputation for high tactical demands. “I am being very, very demanding myself to choose in each match the player to start and the players on the bench and the subs players,” he said. “Firstly is always trying to get the best performance collectively, through individual players.”

In Emery’s scheme, Elliott is viewed principally as a No 10. “Harvey is a 10 number in our structure… and there is still adaptation to add himself individually in our structure,” Emery added, noting the player’s commitment in training while conceding that “his performance was not enough (up to this point).” It is a frank assessment rather than a closing of the door. The crux is tactical fit and execution within a demanding positional framework.

Competition in the No 10 lane at Villa Park

Elliott’s challenge is magnified by the depth in his preferred lane. Emery namechecked Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendia, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans as viable options for the role, with Ross Barkley even operating there in late-game scenarios. That rotation underscores why Elliott has seen fewer minutes: Villa are well-stocked with creators who interpret the space between the lines slightly differently, some offering more direct ball-carrying, others greater off-ball control or set-piece value.

For Elliott, the immediate task is to translate “training well” into match-defining sequences—clean final-third actions, sharper pressing cues from the 10 space, and tempo control that meshes with Emery’s collective principles. The manager’s public line leaves room for progress: “We will give him minutes and chances to play in case his development is going well.” That is a challenge and an invitation.

What comes next for Elliott and Liverpool

Short term, Elliott is ineligible to face his parent club when Aston Villa travel to Anfield this weekend. That removes an emotional subplot but not the wider question. If he strings together performances across winter, Liverpool’s buy-back becomes a live topic rather than an accounting footnote. If the form remains patchy, the obligation to buy still activates the £35 million package, leaving Villa to decide whether to lean into a longer adaptation or reprofile the role.

Liverpool’s calculation is straightforward but nuanced. The club protected upside because Elliott has already shown composure, versatility and resilience at a young age. If those traits resurface in a more central, high-touch role, the decision to ringfence a return route will look prescient. For Villa, the incentive is equally clear: convert potential into consistent output within Emery’s structure and they acquire a Premier League-ready 10 with resale value engineered into the deal.

There is frustration on Elliott’s side—understandable given the search for regular football—but the landscape can shift quickly. A run of minutes, an injury elsewhere in the squad, or a tactical tweak can reframe a season. For now, the message from Bodymoor Heath is uncompromising: meet exacting standards, earn the shirt, keep it. From Liverpool’s vantage point, that pressure cooker is exactly the environment in which a buy-back clause either becomes a smart trigger—or never needs pulling.