Fakayejo Paul
BIRMINGHAM, UK – Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has delivered a stark assessment of loanee Harvey Elliott’s future, confirming the club is unlikely to trigger the permanent purchase clause and indicating the player may leave Villa Park in the January transfer window.
The midfielder’s loan spell from Liverpool has been a disappointment, with Elliott struggling for minutes under the Spanish coach.
Speaking ahead of Villa’s Europa League match, Emery was candid about the situation, stating: “We are speaking with him and about his situation…
Hopefully, we can get a solution for him to try to play consistently, to continue in his career with us or not.”
The crucial statement followed: “He is on loan here, but not definitely adding to us with a permanent contract.”
This effectively rules out the permanent signing of the 22-year-old, whose obligation-to-buy clause was widely reported to be activated upon reaching just 10 appearances.
Elliott has only made five appearances this season and has not featured since early October.
The comments suggest Aston Villa will seek to terminate the loan agreement early to prevent the £35 million (€40m) purchase obligation from being triggered by appearance thresholds.
The failure of the loan presents a new headache for Liverpool, who may have to recall the player and subsequently find a new club for him in the second half of the season.
Emery’s frank admission confirms that both clubs are now working behind the scenes to find a satisfactory solution for the talented, but marginalized, England youth international.