It just wasn’t meant to be for Harvey Elliott at Liverpool.
The 22-year-old, a boyhood red, looks set to leave Anfield this summer in search of regular first-team football. Having been the standout player at Euro 2025, the U21 edition, winning the Player of the Tournament award.
Elliott scored in the quarter-final, twice in the semi-final and again in the final as the Three Lions retained their crown.
Having been the main man for Lee Carsley’s team, he doesn’t want to go back to being a bench player for the Reds under Arne Slot. In truth, he could be a starter for a number of Premier League teams.
A move abroad could be in the offing too with RB Leipzig keen on the versatile attacker and undeterred by his reported £40million price-tag.
On two occasions now, though, it could've been different for the one-time Fulham youngster on Merseyside. At the start of the 2021/22 campaign, he was in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI.
In fact, he made the position on the right-side of the midfield three his own.
A dislocated ankle sustained against Leeds in the middle of September sidelined him until the end of January. Following his return, he made just one more start in the Premier League as Klopp looked to ease the youngster back in and manage his fitness.
Liverpool moved away from the shape he initially impressed in. During the 2022/23 season, the Reds looked at various ways to mask the decline of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago while trying to bed in Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.
Eventually, Klopp experimented, to great success, with Trent Alexander-Arnold inverting and Curtis Jones balancing things on the left side of midfield.
It meant that despite making 18 Premier League starts, Elliott made just one start in the final 11 games of the season in the English top-flight.
He was, once again, feeding off of scraps during the 2023/24 campaign.
The midfield was rebuilt during the summer transfer window with the Reds bringing in Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo to replace the departed Henderson, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita.
Elliott made just 11 starts in the Premier League.
The dislocated ankle really did change the trajectory of his Liverpool career under Klopp. The appointment of Slot was supposed to be the reset the young left-footer needed.
Slot had favoured a player with a similar playing style at Feyenoord in Calvin Stengs. The expectation was that Elliott would be more involved under the Dutchman.
However, the reality was very different.
A broken foot in early September ruled him out until the end of November.
He didn’t make his first start in the Premier League until the 3-1 loss to Chelsea in May when the Reds had already secured the title. Prior to the injury, he hadn’t made it off the bench in wins over Ipswich and Manchester United while Slot gave him just seven minutes against Brentford.
We’ll never know what might’ve happened had he not broken his foot. Maybe he would’ve been involved in Slot’s trusted group of players.
The Dutch tactician implied as much around the time, saying: "Harvey's injury is, of course, not a just big disappointment for him but also for us. He didn't play a lot in the first three games but he showed himself really well in preseason. He would have had a lot of playing time in the upcoming fixtures but that goes to someone else."
Even with his versatility, Elliott found himself behind two of Liverpool’s most important players. Szoboszlai was playing a key role in the push for the title while Mohamed Salah was having an all-timer of a campaign.
It was something Slot mentioned after Elliott netted the match-winner in Paris.
“I can understand that he is sometimes frustrated by the playing time he gets because he is a good player, he showed at Liverpool already that he is a good player, but he is in competition for players that I hardly take off.
“So, Dominik Szoboszlai is always the one that just keeps on going, he also scores goals but he’s so important for us with all the running he does. And yeah, Mo Salah I think is quite key for everyone as well. So, he has to do it with limited playing time but he just keeps on going.
“I have to give him big compliments for that and also my staff because they keep working with him and every time come up with great exercises so he stays fit.”
As a result, 171 of his 360 minutes in the Premier League occurred after the Reds had been crowned champions. Yes, 48% of his minutes in the English top-flight were racked up in those final four outings of the season.
His performances at the U21 tournament might’ve given Slot something to think about had Liverpool not already gone out and spent a club record £100million on Florian Wirtz.
There’s talk that the Premier League champions are in the market for more attackers too, with Malick Fofana liked. This pushes Elliott further down the pecking order at Anfield.
At 22, he needs to be playing. If he has any hopes of gatecrashing the 2026 World Cup squad, he needs to be playing.
He doesn’t just need to be playing though, he needs to be in a team that plays to his strengths.
The Bundesliga does get the best out of attacking talents, so that could be an ideal landing spot for him, but will RB Leipzig have the funds to make a move for him? A £40million move would make him their second most expensive signing ever.
Premier League teams are also reportedly interested and they have the finances. A move to Newcastle might be a good one for all parties involved.
Eddie Howe has a knack for getting the best out of attackers, they’re a big club with a big fan base and that should suit a player who plays with pure heart and emotion.
Had it not been for injuries, Elliott might’ve been one of the poster boys for his boyhood club.
It just wasn’t meant to be though.
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