Harvey Elliott loan hell exit route leaves Liverpool with uncomfortable choice
Liverpool find themselves in an uncomfortable position with Harvey Elliott as a season that was meant to offer opportunity has instead drifted into limbo.
The 22-year-old joined Aston Villa on loan from us late in the summer with the expectation that regular football would follow.
Instead, his campaign has stalled to the point where a move away from Europe is now being discussed.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Charlotte FC manager Dean Smith, formerly of Aston Villa, laid out the stark reality.
“I put the feelers out when I was over there,” he said. “I was thinking about it and thought there is an opportunity there.”
“If he’s not going to play for Villa and he can’t play anywhere else, then it would be an option for him to come and play some games before the World Cup break.”
Why Elliott’s Aston Villa spell has gone wrong
From a Liverpool perspective, this situation feels increasingly difficult to justify.
Elliott has started just one Premier League match all season and has made only four league appearances in total.
That matters when assessing his output, (via Sofascore):
| Stat (Premier League) | 2025/26 |
| Appearances | 4 |
| Starts | 1 |
| Total minutes | 104 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 0.2 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 0.07 |
Those numbers do not point to failure. They point to a lack of opportunity.
It’s a travesty that is glaringly obvious across football with Ian Darke noting that Elliott is “hopelessly trapped”, as the midfielder simply has not been given the platform to impress.
Under Unai Emery, Elliott has found himself frozen out, with Villa keen to avoid triggering an obligation to buy that activates after ten appearances.
That reality explains why his last meaningful minutes came months ago and why talk of an exit has intensified.
Why an MLS move feels wrong for Liverpool and Elliott
FIFA regulations mean Elliott cannot play for another European club this season.
That has opened the door to interest from the United States, with Charlotte FC among those monitoring the situation in Major League Soccer.
Dean Smith’s comments acknowledged that possibility directly. “If he’s not playing between now and the World Cup, it’s a shame,” he added.
“There is an opportunity for him to come and play out here if that’s what Villa and Liverpool want him to do.”
This feels like a last resort rather than a solution though.
This is a player who won Player of the Tournament at the Under-21 European Championship and was a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s teams in his final two Anfield seasons.
Forcing him into a short-term American detour because a loan has been mishandled does not sit comfortably.
Paul Joyce has already reported that Elliott himself is reluctant to pursue that route, while also noting that Liverpool do not currently have a recall option.
That leaves us watching a young midfielder lose months of his career through no fault of his own and asking the question why Liverpool can’t bring him back and make Elliott a squad option for the rest of the season.
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The post Harvey Elliott loan hell exit route leaves Liverpool with uncomfortable choice appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.