Transfer insider: Premier League club now having ‘second thoughts’ on move for Liverpool player

One Liverpool player could be left with a rather uncertain future amid his struggles for game-time this season.

On deadline day at the end of the summer, Harvey Elliott joined Aston Villa on an initial loan basis, with the move becoming permanent once he makes 10 appearances for the Midlands club (The Athletic).

However, he’s been stuck on five games since the first week of October, and Lewis Steele recently claimed that a recall to Anfield is possible, albeit that ‘nothing is in the works yet’ in that regard.

Liverpool return for Elliott could be a possibility

Speaking on the Inside Track podcast (via Football Insider), Pete O’Rourke suggested that Unai Emery’s side might now be reluctant to turn the loan deal for the 22-year-old into a permanent transfer from Liverpool.

The transfer reporter said of Elliott: “Maybe they could look to see if he could possibly go anywhere else. It’s not been the ideal loan for anybody and Elliott’s not got as much minutes as he would have hoped.

“Aston Villa does seem to be having second thoughts on potentially making that loan deal permanent as well. There’s a possibility he returns to Anfield in the January window if he’s not going to figure in Unai Emery’s plans going forward.”

Liverpool must try to recall Elliott if he keeps being overlooked by Emery

With Elliott understood to be ‘frustrated‘ at his lack of game-time for Villa (where he’s only played 167 minutes so far), it’s clear that the current situation is doing nobody any favours, least of all the player himself.

If the 22-year-old isn’t much closer to fulfilling the 10-game trigger for a permanent transfer by January, there seems little point in him remaining in the Midlands, and a recall to Liverpool would at least allow them to take stock and consider what might come next.

At present it still seems unlikely that he’ll play for the Reds again, having struggled for minutes under Arne Slot last season, but the head coach shouldn’t completely write off the possibility of reintegrating the England under-21 star into his squad.

If LFC are deprived of a few attackers through injury or other reasons, there might yet be an opening for Elliott to have a second lease of life at Anfield, if the hierarchy can broker an end to his abortive spell at Villa.

What we can say for certain is that the status quo can’t be allowed to continue for much longer. If Emery has no intention of utilising the 22-year-old, Liverpool must do everything in their power to get him back to Merseyside and let him reconsider his options then.

You can watch Slot’s full post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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