Harvey Elliott appears poised to put his difficult season at Aston Villa behind him and start afresh under Andoni Iraola, after the new Liverpool boss suggested the midfielder could still have a role to play at Anfield. Elliott suffered a disappointing loan stint at Villa, making minimal impact under Unai Emery, who swiftly ruled out making the move permanent for the attacking midfielder.
Loan Details and Frustrations
A £35 million purchase clause would have been triggered had he reached 10 Premier League outings. Ultimately, he managed merely four, alongside four in the Europa League and one in the Carabao Cup. Having already represented Liverpool earlier in the campaign, Elliott was prevented from joining a third club in January, when Villa's attempt to return him to Anfield was blocked. The frustrating situation left the 23-year-old's career in limbo, but the 2026/27 season presents him with a chance to demonstrate his value to Iraola, who has confirmed that every player will start with a clean slate.
Pre-Season Commitment
Elliott has shown his commitment by working with former QPR coach Scott Chickelday ahead of pre-season. The attacking performance coach, who operates the SC9 service, shared footage of Elliott training on the pitch. He wrote: "The hard work never stops! Back in with @liverpoolfc attacker @harvelliott looking sharp! The movement on the ball on the first finish."
Iraola's Clean Slate Promise
During his unveiling press conference, Iraola revealed: "We've analysed Liverpool a lot – possible weaknesses, the strengths. I think we have a very good squad. I think there is still work to do, like normally in every club in this moment of the season. But right now, for me the thing is to value especially the players that we have right now in the squad. For me, and I will tell them, [they] are all new signings. For me, you are all new signings and I think we have a lot of quality in our squad, and [I'm] really looking forward to working with them."
He added: "I only had, I think, Milos [Kerkez] in the squad before – I know a couple. I've been talking to a couple before, but it will be lovely also to play again with Milos, try to improve him, try to help him in his development. Yeah, definitely looking forward to it."
These comments will provide significant encouragement to Elliott, indicating he'll receive the same treatment as every other squad member when he returns to the club this summer. Given that several Reds players will report back later owing to World Cup commitments, he may well secure early chances to demonstrate his worth throughout pre-season.
