Aston Villa would be the perfect place for Harvey Elliott to shape his future

The prospect of guaranteed starters being signed in the transfer window has been weakening as Aston Villa’s financial requirements become clear but that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to do some nice big juicy business.

Villa have been linked with countless players since the end of last season but have only brought in Zépiqueno Redmond and Marco Bizot to join the already-signed Yasin Özcan and 2026 arrival Modou Kéba Cissé.

There’s one link in particular that really inspires the imagination. If Villa and Liverpool could come to an agreement on a transfer fee, Villa Park might just be the perfect place for outgoing England Under-21 captain Harvey Elliott to define his Premier League career.

Surrey-born Elliott joined Liverpool from Fulham in 2019. He was one of the most highly-rated young players in the game and now, at 22 years old, has a body of work to show for it.

The attacking midfielder has played 147 times for Liverpool in all competitions, giving him experience at the highest levels of the game.

He’s produced some special moments and won a legion of admirers with his creative and incisive play, his ability to have an impact on matches and his unapologetic confidence. Elliott is a player with attitude, self-belief and quality.

All of that was on display in Slovakia this summer as he led Lee Carsley’s England side to glory in the Under-21 European Championship.

Elliott was Carsley’s most potent weapon – a creator and scorer of crucial goals, a leader by swaggering example, and, ultimately, the player of the tournament.

Villa could unlock Elliott’s potential

He’s clearly a player who’s on the cusp of taking his game to the next level but Liverpool have already moved on. That’s the prerogative of runaway champions and football is a cut-throat business.

The Reds have made three signings that directly diminish Elliott’s chances of establishing himself at Anfield.

On the right, Jeremie Frimpong opens up a variety of possible combinations with Conor Bradley, Mo Salah or both. Milos Kerkez’s width and Florian Wirtz’s domination in the pocket will give Arne Slot a formidable pairing on the left.

Elliott needs regular football after a season in which he played just fine but started two Premier League matches and totalled 371 minutes in 18 appearances.

He’s a talented, inventive, effective attacking midfielder who needs to find a home where those attributes will improve his new team and be nurtured at an important stage in his development.

How Elliott would fit in at Villa

Villa could be that home.

In my opinion, Elliott would be a neat cultural fit and a step in the right direction in terms of getting the team over the line in the pressure of big matches. He has a bit about him and is emerging as a player for major moments as he matures. Villa need some of that and have the manager and first team set-up to extract it.

Elliott is a left-footed player who likes to get around the attacking half and make things happen but he’s most comfortable playing from the right and spends a good chunk of his time out wide.

That puts him in a position where Villa need a tweak and where a quality addition would allow Unai Emery to keep Morgan Rogers in a role that better suits him and, potentially, to play a Elliott as a roving playmaker who steps inside onto his preferred foot, opening up the game and making space outside for an attacking full-back or even a freshly minted wide midfielder in a new system.

Everyone’s a winner

The more I think about the idea of Elliott signing for Villa, the more I think it makes sense and would benefit all parties.

Elliott would have an opportunity to flourish as he moves towards his peak years, playing for a team where he can fulfil his ambitions and isn’t likely to pay the price of any success he enables.

Villa would gain a tremendous player with bags of potential and a very adequate scouting sample size to suggest he is capable of living up to his promise.

Liverpool hardly need favours but their ambitious spending and the evolution of their team as they look to build on their Premier League title win last season does come with the need to balance the books somewhat, even for them.

Elliott has two years left on his contract and barely played last season. If they want a decent fee, now’s their last chance. If I were Villa, I’d be trying to find a way to offer it to them.

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