Unai Emery says Harvey Elliott’s situation is “awkward for everyone involved” as they decide what’s next for him.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery says he feels like he should be saying sorry to Harvey Elliott every day and calls the whole situation “embarrassing for everyone involved.”
Last summer on deadline day, Elliott joined Villa on a season-long loan from Liverpool. The deal included a promise that Villa would buy him for £35 million if he played 10 league games. But the 23-year-old hasn’t had many chances to play under Emery, with just 277 minutes on the pitch and only four Premier League appearances this season.
Before Villa’s game against Liverpool on Friday, an apologetic Emery was asked about Elliott’s situation. He said, “It’s hard to explain the reasons right now. But yes, it’s embarrassing for everyone involved. I think about apologizing to Harvey every day. We all have our responsibilities—Villa, Liverpool, and me. It’s been a tough season for him as a person and as a player.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool coach Arne Slot confirmed that Elliott will go back to Liverpool for pre-season before the 2026-27 season. He said, “It didn’t work out how anyone wanted. Usually, when you sign a player or bring someone on loan, you want to use them more. That didn’t happen much with Harvey. It’s tough for any player not to get many minutes, especially after the season he had with us. He came to Villa to play more, but that didn’t happen. He’s still under contract with us and will start the next season with us.”
Back in February, The Athletic reported that Emery didn’t see Elliott as part of his long-term plans because he didn’t fully trust his ability to follow tactics. Emery has talked openly about the tricky deal, explaining that there’s a balance between sports and business.
He said, “I talked with him and told him we want to be fair. There are two sides: sport and business. I want him to play because he can help us. But Liverpool holds the key since they set conditions in the deal about matches and buying him. If they remove those conditions, he will play more. We’ve been discussing this with Liverpool for months. The transfer window just closed, so nothing has changed yet.
“He’s a calm, professional guy with great qualities. He deserves to play and has been really patient. But right now, because of the deal and the clauses, we are limited in what we can do. If Liverpool remove the clause, things can change for him. If they don’t, unfortunately, he might keep getting hurt by this situation.”