Harvey Elliott could finally catch a break at Villa as new details over loan move come to light
Harvey Elliott could finally be about to catch a break at Aston Villa, thanks to new details which have come to light regarding his loan move from Liverpool.
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The 22-year-old joined Unai Emery’s side on an initial loan basis at the end of last summer, with a stipulation that the deal would become permanent once he makes 10 appearances for the Midlands club.
However, after reaching 50% of that tally within his first month at Villa Park, he didn’t play again for almost four months as the head coach made no secret of his reluctance to use the England under-21 star, whose scope for involvement might suddenly have widened.
New details emerge over Elliott loan move
On Friday, The Athletic revealed that the appearance-related trigger inserted into Elliott’s loan move to the Villans only applies to Premier League matches, with the attacking midfielder free to play in other competitions as much as possible without the clause being affected.
It means that, instead of the threshold for a permanent transfer being 70% completed, it stands at just 40%, with the 22-year-old able to play in five more top-flight games this season without Villa being obliged to sign him outright.
A minor injury means that he won’t add to that tally against Leeds today, or in subsequent fixtures against Wolves and Chelsea, but it’s hoped that he’ll be available in time for their Europa League round-of-16 tie in mid-March.
Elliott may yet be handed short-term Villa lifeline
Quite how it took nearly six months for the Premier League appearance clause to emerge is a mystery, and had that been made clearer at the outset, perhaps Emery would’ve been a bit more inclined to use Elliott in the Europa League and FA Cup.
Villa’s side from the latter competition this month closes off one potential avenue to the loanee, but with the firm possibility of them reaching a European final and having seven more matches in that tournament, his prospects of game-time have theoretically increased.
As it stands, he could play up to 12 more games this season without his loan club triggering a permanent transfer (five in the Premier League and seven in the Europa League), although that’d still be contingent on the Spaniard giving him the opportunity.
Elliott’s long-term future remains quite uncertain, with a return to Liverpool seeming highly improbable and the Midlands club unlikely to sign him outright, so there’s still a massive decision to be made for the 22-year-old in the coming months.
However, should he be given the scope to make the most of the break which has now been handed to him by these newly-reported details, it could earn him a permanent move elsewhere and keep his value high so that the Reds receive a handsome fee for him.
Hopefully Emery will be more inclined to field the England under-21 star between now and May whenever he’s available for selection.
You can watch Slot’s full pre-Nottingham Forest press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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