Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has made a bold claim regarding the decision to loan out Harvey Elliott to Aston Villa.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder had a bit-part role last season, as Arne Slot stormed into the Premier League to become an instant champion at the helm of the Reds.
Indeed, Elliott would feature here and there, with 26 appearances across all competitions, in which he bagged five goals and collected three assists as a reliable livewire.
With 149 appearances at Anfield now under his belt and two Premier League titles hoisted aloft, it’s a shame to see the state of his Merseyside career, at the time of writing.
Elliott was only afforded one meagre minute of Premier League action this season under Slot, before he was moved onto Unai Emery’s Aston Villa on loan.
Harvey Elliott 2025/26 Season Statistics (All Competitions):
| Metric | Premier League | Europa League | Domestic Cups |
| Appearances | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Minutes played | 109 mins | 101 mins | 67 mins |
| Goals scored | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Assists | 0 | 0 | 0 |
It hasn’t gotten any better for the England U21 regular at Villa Park, with just nine appearances falling into his lap since making a move last summer, with his last league outing coming at the start of February.
With Villa unlikely to make that loan deal permanent now, Elliott will simply return to his boyhood club in June, likely broken and bruised by the whole ordeal.
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol boldly reckons, in an alternate reality, that Elliott could have done a job for the reigning Premier League champions this season, instead of being chucked out on loan to the Villans.
Nicol’s bold claims about Elliott
With 458 appearances under his belt at Anfield, it’s safe to say Nicol is still a respected voice to those on Merseyside, up to the present day.
A versatile presence in his prime, with an ability to play in defence or midfield, the Scotsman reckons Elliott could have played an important role this season for Slot’s men, to fill in for injuries, as an equally malleable figure.
He said, when speaking to ESPN FC: “I couldn’t say that [Elliott wouldn’t help], I think Harvey Elliott couldn’t do anything other than help, It’s not possible.
I think he [Slot] probably decided he wasn’t a first-team starter, but you’ve got to have a squad.
He’s still on loan but he hasn’t played at Villa either, so there’s maybe something that we don’t know that people who are closer to him spotted. Villa obviously decided very, very quickly that they didn’t want him.”
Harvey Elliott: Liverpool Career Stats & Contract Status:
| Category | Data/Statistics |
| Total appearances | 149 |
| Total goals | 15 |
| Total Assists | 17 |
| Contract Expiry Date | June 2027 |
Nicol’s comments do hold weight, here, as Jurgen Klopp regularly utilised Elliott as a member of his squad, when he was still at the helm, with three goals and nine assists falling into his lap during the German’s swansong season.
Having the homegrown talent at Slot’s disposal right now could have been an effective weapon to have on his side, as he might well have been an inspired injection of freshness that was needed during Liverpool’s last 2-1 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion.
It remains to be seen what Elliott’s long-term future looks like on Merseyside, as his contract does expire in the summer of 2027, with the 22-year-old desperate not to let his misadventures at Villa hold him back.
